Some summer events canceled; others still wait-and-see
The Manchester Chicken Broil has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to community-minded efforts through the years. The decision whether or not this, as well as many other summer events, can happen this summer due to COVID-19, is still undetermined.
Ahhhh, summertime in Manchester.
Warm (hot!) days. Sunshine. People strolling the streets of the village. Events galore!
Well, maybe.
Not only in Manchester, but around Washtenaw County and across the state, summer events are being cancelled, postponed, or at least reconsidered. Last week it was announced that the Ann Arbor Art Fair, the Lenawee County Fair, and Chelsea’s Sights and Sounds Festival were all being cancelled for 2020. The COVID-19 crisis has changed many things about our lives, including the plethora of summer events that makes Manchester and the surrounding areas such a great place to be all summer long.
The Manchester Community Fair, which has been running since 1944, is currently still actively planning for its annual event, which this year is scheduled to be held August 18-22, according to Fair Board President Steve Harvey.
Harvey said, “We are constantly monitoring the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic regarding social distancing and other restrictions. As a board, we have not yet discussed canceling the Fair as we wait for input and guidelines set forth by state and federal regulations and restrictions.
However, he added, “The Manchester Community Fair is prepared to do what is the safest and most beneficial for the community while following state and federal guidelines.”
Harvey said that there is not yet a known deadline for making a final decision regarding the fair.
The “granddaddy,” and one of Manchester’s largest one-day events, is undoubtedly the Manchester Chicken Broil, serving up its famous charcoal-grilled chicken dinners to up to 14,000 hungry people on the Third Thursday in July since 1954. Co-chairman Michael Tindall said that the committee is still “looking into” the possibility of holding the traditional annual event this summer.
“We’re working on it,” Tindall said. “I’ve reached out twice to the Washtenaw County Health Department to get some guidance on what we might need to do differently if we determine the event can go on. Will we need to implement social distancing? Masks? What other preparations would we have to change? Is it even feasible, according to the health department, for us to hold the event?”
Because of the Chicken Broil’s time schedule–printing tickets, posters, and other items, along with ordering boxes and other items, Tindall says that the decision needs to be made by the middle of May.
“It’s a major decision either way,” he says. “I have a letter prepared to the Board of Directors, to get their feedback. I need to have other people involved in making the decision, but we really can’t delay it much past the end of this coming week.”
Following up on the Chicken Broil’s tradition of holding its annual event on the Third Thursday of July, one of the community’s newer events, “Third Thursdays,” has already canceled its plans for June 18, but remains open to guidance from the state.
“Right now, we’re being guided by the governor,” says committee member Sue LaRocque. “We are going to make a month-by-month decision, depending how ready the state is to open up for events. The safety of our community is our top concern. We’ll continue to let everyone know the status of our festivals via Facebook.”
Another favorite long-standing tradition in the Manchester community is the Men’s Club fireworks display, which is held in Carr Park on July 3 each year (reserving July 4 for a rain date). Men’s Club spokesman John Stedman said, “Ultimately, the decision will be made by our state leadership and medical teams. We are fully prepared to put the event on. Fireworks are ordered, vendors have been contacted, state beer and wine license is in process, and the park is reserved.”
Asked if the Men’s Club had considered shooting the fireworks without opening the park to the public, Stedman said there has been no discussion of that at this time. “We can order beer, porta-Johns, trash bins, and police protection less than 30 days before the event,” he said. “The Men’s Club is fully prepared to put on the Fireworks and beer tent with the band, although we know indoor events are cancelling into the summer.
“We all hope that our outdoor events–the fireworks, the Chicken Broil, and Third Thursdays will not be impacted. Time will tell.”
The Riverfolk Music and Arts Organization, after originally postponing just the first few Gazebo Concerts of the summer, voted last Wednesday night to cancel the 2020 summer season, which would have been its 32nd year. “We all agreed we simply can’t take responsibility for presenting any in-person public events,” said board member Carol Palms. She added that even the Blacksmith Concert series, which usually offers monthly concerts from September to May, is not planning to schedule any concerts through the end of 2020. (See related article here)
Run Manchester is also a relatively new addition to the summer lineup. Although it was run for many years by the Manchester Area Friends group, for the past two years it has been a major and quite successful fund-raiser for the Manchester FIRST Robotics teams.
However, after much consideration of safety, planning, sustainability, and financial resources, the decision was made by the Team and its mentors to cancel this year’s race and simply accept donations.
“The race is not only our biggest fundraiser that keeps our teams going, it is for the runners in and around our community,” said mentor Daniella Kippnick. “It is a reflection of us and our team’s work to continuously improve. There would be ongoing repercussions if we ask (for) a race fee, but without proper planning, do not uphold the runners’ expectations, as well as those of the community and businesses who have partnered with us and expect quality in our event.”
And yet, the teams still need to generate a large amount of money in order to survive; this event has made fundraising sustainable for FIRST Robotics, while giving the kids an opportunity to plan a project and engage with the community. But, Kippnick said, the time to make a decision is now. With advance planning, the amount of money that needs to be spent up front, and other considerations, postponing a decision even until June 1 was considered too long.
“We don’t see that much will change in ensuring runners’ and volunteers’ safety in the next couple weeks,” Kippnick said. “As one of our mentors, Andy Galicki, brought up the point in an email between mentors, ‘one of the most important principles of FIRST Robotics is safety.’ This principle plays a lead role in the decision to cancel 2020 Run Manchester in August.”
She added, “We have been thinking about how disappointing it is for the kids, and that so much is cancelled or on hold for them already. We are looking at other ways to reach out and bring the students together in a safe way. We have a few ideas in the works for fun in the community, while maintaining safety.”
So this year’s run will be a “virtual” one only, and donations will be accepted at the run signup link to simply accept contributions to the team.
Another summer tradition, the Community Resource Center/Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce 17th Annual fund-raising Golf Outing that was scheduled for Saturday, June 13th has been cancelled, according to CRC Director Laura Seyfried. “After consulting with the golf course, we have opted to cancel the event and not try to reschedule for this year. We plan to bring it back in 2021,” Seyfried said.
There will be other opportunities announced to assist both of these organizations to re-coup some of the funds that are normally raised during this summer fund-raiser.
Summer 2020 will look different in Manchester, in many ways. But bring on the sunshine and warm (hot!) temperatures! In the most important ways, it’s likely that the community will resourcefully find ways to make some great summertime lemonade from the lemons that are being delivered this spring. Stay tuned.
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