Berlin Main Street Merchants cancel Harvest Fest fall event
Berlin Harvest Fest members had to make the difficult choice of canceling this year’s event due to COVID-19 issues. The event was to take place Sept. 14-15 in Berlin.
Few things can match the joy of smelling the aroma of savory ribs as it wafts throughout downtown Berlin during the annual Berlin Harvest Fest. Add in the live music and the sights and sounds of all of the vendors and visitors gathering up and down the main thoroughfare, and it is easy to see why this event is such a drawing card for Amish Country, for both locals and tourists.
Sadly, all of those things will be absent this fall as the Berlin Main Street Merchants made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s event, which was slated to take place Sept. 14-15 in downtown Berlin.
Doug Burgess, president of the Berlin Main Street Merchants, said the group tried to do everything possible to move ahead with the event, but in the end they felt it was the safest and most prudent choice to forego the festival this fall. He said the Holmes County Health Department was supporting the group and the festival and walking with them throughout the discussion, and Burgess said they really appreciated the time and effort put forth by county health commissioner Michael Derr and his staff.
“We went through a lot of discussion about how to best handle this,” Burgess said. “We jumped through all of the hoops we could and worked hard to change things and modify it, but with the safety of people’s health and our area’s reputation of caring about people at stake, we felt it was best to cancel this year’s event.”
Burgess said a number of reasons factored into the decision, none more than the health and safety of everyone involved.
“We have so many people who come into our area, and we definitely wanted to be positive and proactive and not reactive in our approach,” Burgess said. “There were simply too many variables out there, and as much time and effort as we did put into the festival, it was the right thing to do.”
From the planning of the rib vendors and other vendors along Main Street in Berlin, to the planning of the parade, music and fireworks, to factoring in what the event means to store owners, Burgess said the Main Street Merchants group, the Holmes County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau, the health department, and the Holmes County Lodging Council had already put in countless hours trying to make it work.
The absence of the event will leave a large economic hole in the community and the county, but it also serves as a wonderful community gathering spot for locals, who have enjoyed the many rib vendors’ offerings, music, food and the annual Holmes County parade that took place.
“We did everything we could not to cancel, but it wasn’t meant to be this year,” Burgess said.
Knowing what this event means, not just to the area Berlin businesses and lodging community, but also to the many rib vendors and other organizations that rely on this event each year, made it that much tougher to cancel.
“So many of our rib vendors and all these other organizations that have struggled this year because of all of the canceled events felt like the Harvest Fest was going to be that big event that could maybe turn the year around and help it end on a high note,” Burgess said. “That alone is very disappointing.”
While it was disheartening, like most people in Holmes County, the group will look to rebound and come back stronger next year as it keeps a positive outlook on life.
“It is canceled. It is disappointing, but now we can focus on making next year’s event even bigger and better than ever,” Burgess said.