November 6, 2020 – The Decatur Celebration Board of Directors issued a letter to the community laying out a dire future for the Celebration without an infusion of cash and ideas.
According to the letter, the Decatur Celebration is at a crossroads due to the unprecedented impact of COVID19.
“After a successful 2019 event, the Board of Directors was very excited for the long-term future of the festival due to the revitalization work of countless volunteers. Unfortunately, the seasonality of the event and the inability to host a 2020 festival has caused substantial cash-flow issues for the Decatur Celebration.”
The letter states that the Celebration’s current financial resources are inefficient to operate into next year and produce a festival. Pandemic-related restrictions on entertainment-centered events led to the cancelation of the 2020 festival.
“We have not been able to fundraise at the level that we have in prior years but the Board of Directors has worked diligently since March to minimize expenses by closing the office space and furloughing staff and even taking on much of the administrative duties ourselves.”
Additionally, the board says they have spoken with other local organizations about potential partnerships but the challenges of COVID-19 are not limited to the Celebration alone.
“This family-centered event has been a mainstay in our community for nearly 35 years and is known as one of the largest street festivals in our nation. We have taken great pride in that and the ability to share this with our community and visitors from near and afar. And it saddens us that the organization may not be sustainable at this time.”
The Board says they are notifying the community of its status to honor it’s sponsors and supporters.
“We feel that we have exhausted all of our options at this time but are open to thoughtful and innovative ideas to keep the festival going and invite you to share them with us at DecaturCelebration2020BOD@gmail.com by November 30, 2020. Due to the nature of how festivals must be planned we need to move quickly.”
Claudette Davis joins Byers & Co to talk about the struggles facing the Decatur Celebration and the feasibility of putting the festival on in future years. Listen to the interview now.
