The annual Loose Caboose festival, set for March 28 in Newton, has been canceled due to the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.
Newton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors met Thursday to discuss the Covid-19 virus and decided to cancel the Loose Caboose festival out of concern for the safety and health of festival goers, vendors and volunteers.
“At the advice of our Mayor and Board of Aldermen, the Newton Chamber Of Commerce Board of Directors has decided to cancel this year’s Loose Caboose Festival,” The board of directors said Friday in a press release. “The health and safety of our community, vendors, attendees, and volunteers is our top priority. We are committed to responsibly doing our part to protect supporters.”
Don Vares, president of the Newton Chamber of Commerce said the board was planning on making a final decision Wednesday, but after learning the Newton Board of Aldermen was concerned, the directors held an emergency vote.
“We were planning on looking at it on Wednesday as a chamber with the guidance of the mayor and Board of Aldermen, but later on this morning the mayor and aldermen said they felt like they ought to cancel it,” he said. “Our Board of Directors voted along with that, so that pretty much sealed the deal.”
Chamber Director Emily Pugh said canceling the festival was a tough decision to make, but the chamber felt it was necessary to protect the health and safety of festival attendees.
“The public’s health and safety is our number one concern,” she said. “We’re very heartbroken that we have to cancel Loose Caboose, which is our largest fundraising event of the year, but we’re so thankful that we’ve had very understanding vendors and partners and sponsors.
After the board’s decision Friday, Vares and other chamber member worked to call vendors and let them know about the cancellation before a public release was sent out. He said he was grateful for the vendors’ understanding of the situation and the board’s decision.
“I personally called a large number of our vendors to let them know before the press release went out, and everyone of them said they would definitely be back next year and they appreciated us letting them know in advance,” he said. “We made a very good decision for our vendors and the carnival. They were very concerned for the health and safety of the public too.
“It’s a hard decision to make when it’s a profit maker for the chamber, but we have to think about our citizens sometimes and the health and safety of them, and that was the decision we made.”
