The chamber’s board of directors, which comprises a group of community volunteers, met on Thursday, Sept. 9, for its last regularly scheduled meeting before the Pumpkin Festival. Local Emergency Management Director Emory Kidd requested to meet with the board. It was his professional recommendation that the chamber cancels the Pumpkin Festival for public safety reasons. The board considered this information, discussed, debated, and looked at all sides before coming to the very difficult decision.
According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, on the same day as our chamber meeting, the COVID-19 incidence rate for Metcalfe County was 164 — double the state average. Metcalfe had a higher rate than any of our surrounding counties, and only five of Kentucky’s 120 counties had a higher incidence rate.
In addition to the high incidence rate, Metcalfe County has a low rate of vaccinations. According to the Barren River District Health Department, just 32% of Metcalfe County residents have been vaccinated against the COVID-19. Only one other county in the eight-county region has a lower vaccination rate. Furthermore, at this time, children under 12 can’t be vaccinated at all.
For these reasons, the Edmonton-Metcalfe County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors decided it was in the best interest of our community to cancel this year’s Pumpkin Festival.
