September 9th, 2021 by WCBC Radio
As a result of surging COVID-19 cases, DelFest 2021 has been canceled.
The following is the letter to festival supporters and ticket holders from Rob and Ronnie McCoury:
This is a tough letter to write. After having to postpone DelFest twice, working through Covid protocols with the state and local government, law-enforcement, community leaders, etc. and then putting the strictest protocols in place to ensure the safest possible event for our patrons, their families, and our staff from all over the country, we find that our industry’s version of “Long COVID” has struck again.
For a number of reasons, we have no choice but to postpone DelFest 2021 to Memorial Day weekend, May 26 – 29, 2022. Several things beyond our control happened at the same time over the last few days making this decision inevitable. First and foremost, while the State of Maryland is doing pretty well against COVID, the more rural Western Maryland with lower vaccination rates is currently at the height of the Delta surge (Allegany County is currently second in the state in infections). The surge, among other factors, has created a labor shortage felt throughout the country. This hit home last week when our event services company, that we have relied on for 9 years, came to the realization that they couldn’t field a team, and let us know they would be unable to provide service. We reached out to every resource we could to overcome that, working with local law enforcement, local job centers and other event crews. Additionally, we lost a local shuttle company because the unvaccinated drivers were not willing to even wear a mask or be tested. We lost vendors to Covid hospitalizations and labor shortages of their own, we lost locals that help us pre-event because they are having to work overtime to make up for co-workers who have tested positive in the past week. All of this proved too much to overcome.
With a heavy heart, we must accept the fact that COVID has won another round. We can not bring our families, or yours, into an event that doesn’t meet our safety and quality standards. While we have to say a big thank you as a family to the hospital leaders, the health department, local business leaders, the county commissioners, and the Mayor for what could not have been more cooperative spirits, the combination of the growing numbers, the growing concern of our patrons and staff, and our inability to bring a sufficient staff together to ensure that all safety protocols are adhered to and the quality of a festival you deserve means we need to move to 2022. And through this disappointment, we want to thank YOU for supporting us and our decisions throughout this difficult time. It means the world to us.
As always, we will follow the Golden Rule, which dad has always lived by, with regards to refunds, but we along with Dad, Mom, and Rhonda hope you will stay with us as we prepare for joining together on Memorial Day Weekend 2022. A refund request period will re-open today, and run through Monday, Sept 20. All non-refunded 2021 tickets will be honored at the 2022 festival. No further action is necessary on your part if you choose to roll your ticket over.
Rob and Ronnie McCoury
on behalf of the entire McCoury family and DelFest
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