More Bellingham summer programs and events canceled over coronavirus concerns
Bellingham is joining other Whatcom County cities in canceling some of summertime’s most beloved family-oriented events because of the new coronavirus pandemic, city officials announced Monday, April 20, 2020.
Cancellations include the Lake Padden Triathlon, Kids Fest, Children’s Craft Fair, city-sponsored summer day camps, and athletic leagues, aquatics programs, and the All-Comers Track Meets.
Whatcom County health officials urged the cancellation of summer programs that draw large crowds last week.
“Taking the health department’s recommendation seriously means doing everything we can to reduce the number of people gathering in Bellingham,” Mayor Seth Fleetwood said in a statement announcing the cancellations. “Canceling these city events and programs will help protect those most at risk for severe illness or death, continuing all our efforts underway this spring to ‘flatten the curve.’
“Our goal is to increase business and community activity in well-planned phases, with measures in place that protect public health. Our ability to responsibly and successfully re-open our economy could be further damaged if we move too quickly to resume activities that we know put people at risk.”
Decisions are pending for events and activities that are not organized by the city but require its approval to proceed, according to the statement.
City staff is working with those event organizers to evaluate needs and feasibility on a case-by-case basis, the statement said.
One of these events, a new “signature event” celebrating the bicycle called the Northwest Tune-Up, delayed its debut until 2021, according to the organizers’ website.
Blaine already scrapped its annual Fourth of July parade and the annual Independence Day fireworks show sponsored by Haggen and the Port of Bellingham also were canceled.
This story was originally published April 20, 2020 at 6:49 PM.
