For the first time since 1993, there will be no Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival.
The committee for the 2020 event, which annually draws more than 40,000 people to the tiny village of Hartsburg, announced the decision to cancel this year's event on Facebook late Wednesday, citing the pandemic and public health concerns. Leslie Martin, president of the festival committee, said the decision was made during a meeting with village officials.
"The committee has met with the Village of Hartsburg's town board, and after looking at current health orders in place, recommendations from CDC, and discussion with town residents; we do not feel we can safely host a festival this year," stated the Facebook post.
Martin said the committee begins preparing for the festival in late January, and as the pandemic grew, they opted to continue planning as normal, lining up vendors and entertainment. During the past two months, she said, they've been meeting with the town board in Hartsburg, noting the committee wanted to ensure they had the board's input and support in the final decision.
"It wasn't a very easy decision," Martin said. "It was very tough for us."
She said they didn't want to wait too long to make a decision, knowing how many people plan trips for the festival and how many vendors count on it as part of their income. Canceling it now gives vendors time to adjust their schedules, she said, adding if they waited until September to make the decision, it could hurt vendors even more.
"This is like a livelihood for some people," Martin said.
The Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival has been a yearly attraction since 1991, except for the only other cancellation in the event's history, during the 1993 flood.
"It's not something that we cancel, ever," Martin said.