MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is not only affecting our health and work routines. It’s also laying waste to festivals and entertainment events that are a Mid-South staple during early fall.
Already, the hugely popular Beale Street Music Festival and World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, which had been moved from May to October, have now been canceled until next spring. Also canceled are the Southern Heritage Classic, the Cooper Young Festival, and the Germantown Festival.
Last week, the Mid-South Fair announced a postponement of its late September dates – and rescheduled the fair for October 23rd through November 1st. I call that wishful thinking. Anyone who has ever attended the fair knows that social distancing is impossible – and good hygiene is a pipe dream. I’ve attended plenty of times, and there is absolutely no way to sanitize the rides after every go-around. Plus, fair food and masks simply don’t go together. With COVID-19 cases increasing every day in Mississippi, the Landers Center in DeSoto County is no place for big fair this year.
Meanwhile, I’ve seen no updates from the Delta Fair and Music Festival, which is still scheduled for early September at the Agricenter. We’ll see about that.
All of this is disappointing for sure. But it cannot be helped. Until we can get better control of this pandemic, life cannot go on as usual. Sadly, that includes fun and games. And that’s my point of view.
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