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Friday, 29 March 2024

Officials cancel the 2020 Covered Bridge Festival

Credit: WTHI
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Officials cancel the 2020 Covered Bridge Festival
Officials cancel the 2020 Covered Bridge Festival
Officials in Parke County have canceled of one of the state's biggest festivals.

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"what you're comparing the income versus the possible loss of life or illness it was a obvious decision" more tough decisions are coming down for annual festivals in the wabash valley!

The annual parke county covered bridge festival..

Is an event that draws about one million people to our area every year.

News 10's sarah lehman is live in our newsroom.

She spoke with one parke county commissioner.

She joins us live now with more on their hard decision.

Rondrell... it's big news for parke county.

The covered bridge festival will not be happening at all this year!

But -- county commissioners say they could not risk anyones life!

Monday night the parke county commissioners had their regular meeting.

But -- they voted on a hot button topic.

The covered bridge festival.

"it really is a tough decision cause it's going to impact so many people " in a two to zero vote -- the commissioners voted to cancel the festival this year.

One commissioner -- ddan collom -- abstained from voting.

He cited the fact that he and his wife are typically apart of the festival.

And he didn't feel comfortable voting on this topic.

Commissioner president jim meece says it is a tough decision.

But -- he says the risk was too high.

"there's no way you could put a, how many lives for so much money.

Ther'es no way to put that.

So, that health and safety and the wellfare of our people has got to be paramount on our minds" meece says the festival brings in some money.

But -- he says it's not the amount that everyone really thinks.

He says the commissioners knew there would be no way to prevent the spread of covid 19 if they had the event.

"this is a county wide festival.

There's simply no way we could enforce any kind of masking requirements from the state or social distancing.

So, i have a no doubt we would have transmittal of that infection."

The commissioners also said with things like the indy 500 not having fans... colleges canceling fall sports.... and other festivals being caneled.

They could't think the covered bridge fest would be any different.

Meece says they plan on coming back bigger and better next year!

Reporting live in the newsroom.

I'm sarah lehman news 10.

Back to you.

"students in vigo county" will start "the vigo county" "students in "students in vigo county" will start "the ne school year" tomorrow.

Year" new school will start "th vigo county" "students in back to you.

10.

Lehman news i'm sarah lehman news 10.

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