(6/2021) Carnivals, which have traditionally served as being the primary fundraisers for community emergency responders, have begun to re-emerge - as COVID restrictions are beginning to be lifted in the wake of subsidence of the pandemic.
Thurmont Mayor John Kinnaird noted at the town commissioners’ May 11 meeting that the carnivals within his community - the Thurmont Community Ambulance Service and the Guardian Hose Company – have decided to move forward with holding their events, given the anticipated relaxation of coronavirus protocols as the result of case-numbers decreasing.
The Thurmont Community Ambulance Service will hold their carnival on June 1 through June 5 at the Thurmont Event Complex. Pre-sale ride-tickets are $16, and will be valid nightly at the event beginning at 6 p.m. through 10 p.m.
There will also be nightly entertainment, which as of press-time was not fully-booked but will feature Taylor Brown and The Elvis Show on June 1, The Rock and Roll Relics on June 4, and Borderline on June 5, among the offerings.
The company will be holding a $15 nightly buffet served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and a fireworks display will be held on the evening of June 4.
The Guardian Hose Company will hold their carnival from July 6 through July 10. There will be on-site rides and amusements. There will be a "Pay One Price – Ride All Night" offer, and details, including admission rates, are soon to be announced.
There will be no parade, and of the News-Journal’s press time, the company was continuing to work on the details of the event. Updates will be provided at the fire company’s website at guardianhose.org.
Mayor Kinnaird stated, "Both our ambulance company and the Guardian Hose Company have seen drastic drop-offs in their donations this year because of their inability to run a lot of events."
The mayor encouraged everyone to go out and get to the carnivals and noted that there are always donation jars at the carnivals, "(so) throw a couple of extra dollars in the donation jars to help these people out," the mayor suggested.
The same could be said for the Walkersville Volunteer Fire Company, who, like so many others, have suffered from the loss of revenue their carnival would have provided last year.
However, the company has decided to try and recoup some of the loss by holding their 81st Annual Carnival this year from July 5 through July 10 on their carnival grounds.
The event will feature Rise-All-Night-For-One-Price on July 5 through July 7 and will be holding a fireworks’ display on July 9 (July 10 rain-date). Nightly entertainment will feature local bands, as well as other activities.
Food-wise, the company will be offering hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, crab cakes, fried country ham, chicken, French fries, pizza, and hand-dipped ice cream.
Keep in mind that COVID protocols - in some form or another - may continue to exist at the time of the events, and all attendees are required to comply with any protocols that remain.
There has been no decision as yet regarding whether Fairfield Borough’s Pippinfest will be held this year. Last year, like so many other events, Pippinfest was canceled, as the borough felt that it could not be safely held.
However, Thurmont’s Catoctin Colorfest 2021 will be held, unless COVID numbers rise, and thereby pose a renewed threat. The town commissioners noted at their May 18 meeting that the Colorfest organizers are proceeding with their plans for the 2021 event, including accepting vendor applications.
Mayor Kinnaird said staff had been meeting with Carol Robertson, president of Catoctin Colorfest. "She’s of-a-mind that we can safely operate Colorfest, and I’m in agreement with her," he said.
The mayor stated that Chief Administrative Officer James Humerick is going to start looking at getting prices on providing the security, sanitation, transportation, and (if deemed necessary) purchasing masks in-bulk for the event.
Kinnaird said the town will be nevertheless taking a chance, because there is no real assurance that the pre-COVID attendance numbers can be achieved.
He noted that the expenses the town incurs with regard to providing security, sanitation, and transportation services for the event is paid through money raised by vendor and parking fees, and that if attendance is down, the town could potentially fall short in the funds needed to pay for the expenses.
However, the mayor further stated, "This is a chance we have to take. Colorfest is so critical to a lot of our local organizations - the churches, the Scouts, the Lions Club," adding, "We need to get back into it and take the chance that we may come up short this year."
Kinnaird said, "I would ensure you if there’s a reversal in anything to do with COVID then we will address that, and if we have to scale-back anything, then we will - at that time."
Humerick said he is happy that the town is planning for Colorfest, "I think if we didn’t plan for it and then things really opened-up in September, it would be too late to plan for it," adding, "I’d rather plan for it now and hope that we not have to step back, but we have the option to do that if something were to reverse (the decision to proceed)."
