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Summer Arts & Music Festival Cancelled

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March 25, 2020

Dear Community,

Concerning the current public health crisis of the region, where we are at as a state and as a country, and the shock our economy is under, the Mateel Community Center board of directors has been deliberating on how to proceed with the 44th annual Summer Arts & Music Festival (SAMF).

SAMF is the Mateel Community Center’s main fundraiser and produces most of our annual income since 2017. This was slated to be the 44th time we have gathered at Benbow state recreation area, throughout the decades the fair has shifted dates although for many years now it has been held the first weekend of June.

This year it was to be held June 6th & 7th, when this CoronaVirus epidemic news started and even as it grew into a pandemic we still felt like it would be contained or it wouldn’t reach behind the “redwood curtain”, this is clearly not the case anymore.

These are unprecedented times we find ourselves in, as we are told to isolate, abide by social distancing, not gather in groups and so forth. We have closed the community center and office to the public for now, and so we have been deliberating on how to proceed.

The decision has become apparent given the crisis we are in as we are faced with challenging times ahead and unable to predict the economic climate of the area after this has finally passed. These issues could adversely impact festival attendance and event production so the only answer we can reasonably arrive at is that we are forced to cancel the Summer Arts & Music Festival.

We are saddened and deeply concerned as this affects the Mateel and our community for obvious reasons.  At this point we are unable to consider postponing the festival as the State parks, including Benbow, are closing down for now. 

We will be updating the community as just as soon as we are able, in the meantime please follow health guidelines and government directives.

Sincerely,

The Mateel Community Center’s Board of Directors and Staff