Midland Balloon Festival announces cancellation, Riverdays tentatively moving forward with 2020 plans
After much consideration, Midland Balloon Festival has made the extremely difficult decision to cancel its 2020 event. Organizers expect the event to return in 2021.
“While we’ve attempted to wait-out Covid-19 Stay Home, Stay Safe restrictions, we’ve reached a point where a decision had to be made,” commented Steve King, Balloon Festival Event & Competition Director. “Even if social restrictions are lifted in mid-May, we do not believe there is ample time to plan the type of memorable event our amazing pilots and community have come to expect.”
Riverdays, the long-standing Midland Area Community Foundation (MACF) event in Downtown Midland, tentatively plans to move forward with July 30 – August 1 festivities despite the cancellation of the companion festival, Midland Balloon Festival.
“While we are disappointed not to be joining together with Midland Balloon Festival in 2020, we are currently moving forward with our Riverdays planning, pending further guidance,” said Sharon Mortensen, President & CEO of the Midland Area Community Foundation. “It has been a great partnership for the past two years and we look forward to continuing that in 2021.”
For the past two summers, Riverdays and Midland Balloon Festival have taken place at the same time, providing Downtown Midland with amazing skyline sights and unforgettable concerts and events.
Midland Area Community Foundation is continuing to monitor guidelines put in place by government officials, as well as the current status of other local festivals to evaluate the possibility of canceling Riverdays.
“We realize there is a lot of uncertainty around summer events as we deal with the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mortensen. “We are currently preparing to host Riverdays later this summer. If it is determined that it’s unsafe to hold an outdoor public gathering at the end of July, we will certainly adhere to the guidelines laid forth by public officials.”
The mission of the Midland Area Community Foundation is, “To provide philanthropic leadership to strengthen our community by fostering collaboration and giving today and in the future.” For inquiries or more information about MACF, call 989-839-9661 or visit www.midlandfoundation.org.