The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the cancellation of Fourth of July festivities in the City of Knox. Mayor Dennis Estok told the city council Tuesday that he’s decided to cancel the annual Family Fun Day.
“I don’t think we can handle it,” he said. “It’s getting pretty late, actually, to organize it. Our sponsors are way down. We did get some sponsor checks in, and then this hit. I’m not even going to send out another letter asking people to sponsor it.”
Estok said the Fun Day typically costs between $12,000 and $13,000, and only about $4,000 in early contributions were received before the coronavirus put an end to fundraising efforts.
But beyond that, the mayor noted that there’s no guarantee that large events will even be allowed. Governor Holcomb hopes to let them begin July 4, but that could change depending on the pandemic.
Mayor Estok said he is considering the possibility of moving the fireworks display to the Fall Bash planned for September 19. “If things get better and open up a little bit and the businesses do better, we’ll send another round of letters out asking them to support them,” he told council members. “I’m not going to do that now.”
Estok said next week’s car show and the June 13 concert in the park have been canceled, but at this point, he hopes the rest of the concerts will be able to go ahead as planned.
