Ellwood City annual arts festival canceled

The Ellwood City Arts, Crafts, Food and Entertainment Festival and the Ledger 10K race have been canceled because of the COVID-19 outbreak.

ELLWOOD CITY -- Not bad weather, not even money problems stopped the borough's annual summer festival over the last 40 years. But this year, a pandemic virus has done just that.

The Ellwood City Arts, Crafts, Food and Entertainment Festival Committee announced Friday that the event scheduled for July 4th weekend has been canceled. The Ledger 10K race, which is typically held in conjunction with the festival, also is canceled.

"It breaks my heart," said Raylene Boots, general chairwoman of the event. "This is very difficult."

But the committee decided Wednesday night that there was no other option because no one knows when social distancing and other prevention efforts against the virus will end and vendors need to know months in advance about plans for an event.

"We waited as long as we could," Boot said, noting committee members discussed several options, including delaying the festival until later in the year. But ultimately, they decided the three-day event, which draws thousands to Ewing Park, was unlikely going to be ruled a safe activity by the state this year.

Noting there is no way to predict what will happen 12 months from now, Boots said the committee is moving forward on planning an epic festival for 2021.

This would have been the 40th annual festival, so this year's additions, including a new mascot and promotional video will be moved to next year, Boots said.

She said craft vendors who already registered for this year will be given the option of a full refund or credit for next year.

Boots said the committee knows how important the festival is to the community, so this was not an easy decision. "When you are standing in line for your pepperoni puff, it is not just about the taste of the pepperoni puff," she said. "It is about the experience."

Although the cancellation might be a deep loss for the Ellwood City area, Boots said, "It's only one year. As long as we are allowed, we will come back strong (next year)."

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