5 area small-town festivals canceled in June, July

Published 6:22 pm Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Five area communities have announced they have canceled their festivals in June and July because of the ongoing threat of COVID-19, but some have hopes for one-day events at a later time. 

Included are Morin Lake Days in Alden, which had been scheduled for June 19 through June 21; Glenville Days, June 19 and 20; Kiester Days, June 27 and 28; Ellendale Days, June 26 through June 28; and New Richland’s Farm & City Days, July 10 through July 12. 

Doug Trytten, who is part of the Kee Town & Country Center group organizing Kiester Days, said he and others were keeping track of communities in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota that had events the same weekend, and most of them had canceled. 

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In addition to the health concerns, he said it was too difficult to conduct the pre-event activities, such as selling raffle tickets and getting the high school bands lined up for the parade. 

“We thought we’d just wait until next year,” Trytten said.  

He noted this was the first year for the Kee Town & Country Center group to organize the event. 

“We didn’t want it to stop, and then COVID-19 stopped us,” he said. 

A few people are considering a community event for National Night Out in August in Kiester. 

Ellendale City Council member Scott Groth, who is also part of the Lions Club and Ellendale action committee, said there were many underlying issues that played into the decision in their community. 

A few of the community members there have also been discussing a one-day Saturday festival in September, he said. 

Ann Bryson, with the Morin Lake Days Committee, said the decision to cancel the annual Alden event was made by both the committee and the Alden City Council out of concern for the public. 

“We want our celebration to be fun and not a health risk,” Bryson said. 

There are not any plans for a separate Alden event later in the summer in the fall as the event hinges on the Morin Lake Days Fun Run, which is widely advertised in June. 

The city of Glenville posted on its Facebook page Tuesday the Glenville Days committee is planning a one-day event in the future. 

New Richland Farm & City Days announced on its Facebook page Wednesday its annual event would be canceled.

Every year we look forward to connecting with our community during Farm & City Days,” the post stated. “But given the concerns around COVID-19, we’ve made the difficult decision to cancel. This is a tough call to make. Farm & City Days is an important event for the area, but we need to prioritize the health and safety of our community.”

Organizers said they remain committed to the event and are starting to plan the 2021 celebration.