(6/5) Fairfield Borough's Pippinfest 2020 has been officially canceled by the Pippinfest Committee out of concerns over adhering to COVID-19 restrictions imposed by the governor of Pennsylvania.

According to Pippinfest Committee Chairperson Sally Thomas, the decision was reached by a unanimous vote of the committee at their June 3 meeting. The Pippinfest Committee consists of 11 members and 21 volunteers who assist with the actual event.

Thomas said that according "to the guidelines for 'phase-green' of Governor Wolf’s plan to re-open Pennsylvania, which will very likely begin soon, gatherings of more than 250 people are not permitted." Previous Fairfield Pippinfest festivals reported to have attracted thousands of attendees.

The chairperson said that Pippinfest would almost certainly attract a crowd of attendees greater than 250 in number and would thus render it unlikely that social distancing guidelines could be maintained. "It was the correct decision, based on the information and criteria available, at this time."

The cancellation represents the first time Pippinfest has been canceled in its 40-year history," Thomas commented, adding, "This is certainly sad for everyone."

Since the 40tth consecutive year of Pippinfest has now been canceled, 2021's event will technically be the 40th year of the event. "We certainly look forward to continuing our plans for Pippinfest 2021, when we will be celebrating our 40th anniversary of our wonderful hometown festival," Thomas stated.

Pippinfest has traditionally been the most-attended annual event held within Fairfield Borough. The two-day festival, when held, usually reserves Saturdays for yard sales and other activities, with even more events, activities, and live entertainment on Sundays. The festival has traditionally been held on the last full weekend in September.

David Thomas, former owner and proprietor of the Fairfield Inn, is credited as being the founder of Pippinfest, essentially established in 1980 as a "community-wide celebration of the apple harvest," Pippins being an American apple variety, tracing its origins to the late 17th or early 18th century.

Two years after the founding, in 1982, a Pippin apple tree was planted behind the Fairfield Inn "with local fanfare and ceremony." The tree still stands today and bears its fruit every fall.