By Kathy Tretter
They tried. The Ferdinand Tourism Commissioner looked at every option possible but it just was not to be. Late last week they sent a letter to vendors explaining the following:
“As heartbreaking as it is for us to send this message, we truly believe there is no other alternative but to cancel the 2020 Christkindlmarkt. We were certainly hopeful that we could make this event happen and many good ideas and possible alternatives were brought forward at our tourism meetings, but with the size of the event and the number of guests, there wasn’t a feasibly safe solution. However, as we watch the spikes of COVID-19, knowing there is no vaccine at this time, we made the hard—but best for the overall health and well-being of our guests, vendors, volunteers, tourism board and venue personnel — decision to cancel the 2020 Christkindlmarkt.
While Christkindlmarkt is held over one weekend per year, work begins almost immediately following the November event on plans for the next year. According to organizers and with all the unknowns presented by the pandemic, the most prudent decision was to cancel now. Many of the local volunteers who assist fall in the high risk category, as do many attendees.
Commissioner members are now actively working to present Christkindlmarkt 2021 on November 20 and 21, with the Christkindmarkt Eve celebration set for Friday, November 19.
