Iola event would have been held in October
By Greg Seubert
The list of cancellations related to COVID-19 keeps growing.
The Iola Historical Society met July 27 and decided to call off the 11th annual Taste of Norway and Lost Arts Fair event, which had been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3.
“The overriding consideration expressed and recognized by the attendees concerned the uncertainties insofar as governmental restrictions and recommendations for controlling the spread and dangers of the coronavirus pandemic and how those considerations unfold and are addressed in the weeks and months to come,” society president Clifford Mishler said in announcing that the event would not be held this year.
The society’s considerations include:
• The control of social distancing.
• The exposure and health risks concerning the event’s taste demonstrators and attendees.
• The effectiveness of hand sanitizing guidelines.
• The reality that public events in the area are still being widely canceled.
• The observance of facemask recommendations.
• The gamble that would be taken in preparing for an uncertain turnout.
“I’ve been observing many organizations switching to the virtual world for their events of late, but I’m not sure that would translate very good where a taste event is concerned,” Mishler said. “Here’s hoping things turn around for 2021 where our community fundraising events are concerned.”