Bellefontaine Mayor Ben Stahler announced Thursday that he has made the difficult decision to postpone Bellefontaine’s Bicentennial Celebration, previously slated for Saturday, Aug. 29, following a recent local spike in COVID-19 cases.
The event will be moved to 2021 at a date to be determined.
Plans have been in progress for the better part of a year to prepare for this event to honor the historical date for Bellefontaine, the mayor said.
“This was a hard call to make. Many in our community were looking forward to a good old fashioned downtown block party to celebrate our proud heritage.
“It’s unfortunate that the coronavirus has affected so much of our daily lives, but I believe it’s best to err on the side of caution,” he said. “In the end, the benefits do not outweigh the risks.”
In recent weeks, Logan County has experienced a rise in coronavirus cases, according to reports from the Logan County Health District .
As of Wednesday, there were 77 active reported COVID-19 cases, up from an average of 28 cases. There also are currently seven people hospitalized with the virus, when two people was the previous average.
According to Logan County Health Commissioner Dr. Boyd Hoddinott, the county has met indicators for new cases per capita, sustained increase in new cases, proportion of case not in a congregative setting, and increase in hospital admissions. This puts Logan County on track to become a red level three public health emergency on the Ohio Department of Health’s Public Advisory System.
Plans for the 200-year celebration included: a variety of live music performances on stage, an antique car show, 12 food trucks in the downtown area, actors portraying historic figures from our past, an historic drone photo from above, a laser light show and much more.
The mayor said he remains confident that “as we continue to wear masks and maintain our social distancing, Logan County can make a significant difference in combatting the spread of the virus.”