ELLERBE — Add the Strawberry Festival to the growing list of canceled events in Richmond County.
The Ellerbe Area Neighbors Association made the announcement on its Facebook page March 16.
“With the latest recommendation by the CDC to cancel gatherings of 50 people or more for eight weeks, (we have) made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Ellerbe Strawberry Festival,” the post reads.
The organization said it plans to contact vendors who have already paid and said members are planning an alternative event for later in the year.
This was to be the third year of the budding festival.
Organizers said about 2,500 people attended last year’s event in May.
Rockingham Dragway canceled its race for this coming weekend and Richmond County Hospice postponed two upcoming events.
Concert promoter Danny Wimmer Presents still has yet to make an announcement on its upcoming music festivals, including Epicenter, which was moved to Charlotte Motor Speedway from Rockingham Dragway last October. Epicenter is scheduled for the first weekend in May.
While the CDC’s recommendation is to restrict crowds to 50 over the next eight weeks, Gov. Roy Cooper issued an executive order mandating the gathering cap at 100 until March 30. However, that time frame could be extended, as more cases pop up around the state.
