Festivals in a Post-Covid Climate

By Lyn Stanton

As we move into the year 2021, it is obvious to all that the optimistic feelings we all shared eleven months ago that the Corona Virus phenomenon would only upset our way of life for a few weeks, a few months at most, have been replaced with the awareness that things may never really go back to the way they were before. But, even though things are different, life does indeed go on. Communities still need to gather together and celebrate life.

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The two-yearly Festivals at HGR are the perfect embodiment of those celebrations. Spring Plow Day welcomes in the warm half of the year, where we sow the seeds of our sustenance, into the soil and into our communities. Fall Heritage Festival prepares us for the cold as we reap the bounties we have cultivated and share them with one another. The camaraderie we feel when we gather together for these celebrations sustains us perhaps as much as the vegetables and livestock which we produce. This year, these celebrations are even more important than ever because we have been so deprived of the company of our friends and neighbors through the pandemic year, and also, because the Virus is not yet behind us. We must find new ways to gather in as safe, and responsible a manner as possible. 

As of now, we have scheduled our Spring Plow Day Festival for April 24, Fall Heritage Festival on September 11th, and the new Country Corn Picking Day on October 23rd. As we prepare for Spring Plow Day, we have been reaching out to all wonderful vendors, demonstrators, and partners to develop a full schedule of events and activities. In addition to our regular planning, we are working on revamping the physical layout of people and activities, planning the flow of traffic, and exploring what masks and social distancing look like at festivals at Homeplace on Green River. A large outdoor space and large open air buildings that make it easy for our vendors, demonstrators and visitors to follow CDC guidelines by maintaining a
minimum safe distance of 6 feet separation and properly wearing face masks, etc.

We know how important it is to get this right, and while we are so excited about having the festivals, we know that an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure. We are dedicated to thinking through the details and making Spring Plow day as low-risk an event as possible. We hope to lead by example as we resume life’s activities and find the new normal. We are confident we can succeed and we believe we can count on this dedicated community to help us set that example so that everyone can enjoy the day!