COVID concerns force council to cancel balloon festival

The City Council emerged from an executive session that came at the end of a nearly five-hour meeting Tuesday night and voted 6-1 to cancel the Labor Day weekend Pie in the Sky festival over concerns surrounding the rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the area.

Council member Ashlee Bradshaw cast the lone dissenting vote.

“Pie in the Sky contracts” were listed as one subject of the executive session under the heading “Pending or contemplated litigation or to seek the advice of the City Attorney.” Thus it must be assumed that not only did the council learn that many vendors and balloon participants were pulling out the festival, but also that the city attorney probably advised the council of potential legal liability in the very real possibility that the festival turned into a COVID super-spreader event.

“With the current situation that is going on in our city and for the safety and well-being of our residents and the city staff and everyone involved, with a heavy heart I want to make the motion and the recommendation that we cancel this year’s Pie in the Sky festival for 2021,” council member Michael Tobias said.

“This is one of the hardest votes I have to take,” said council member Robert Rizo, who seconded Tobias’ motion, “because I really wanted to see us get past the pandemic and see us getting our lives back. For us to be in the situation we are right now is very depressing and very sad.”

A prepared statement from the city, issued today, added: “COVID-19 has impacted nearly every piece of event planning from staffing and volunteers to availability of vendors and supplies. City leadership has also kept a close eye on local COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and ultimately wanted to avoid contributing to an already strained healthcare system. With the continued increase in active cases in the area, specifically the Delta Variant, the city anticipates these challenges will only continue and become increasingly more difficult. Refunds will be issued to all vendors and ticket purchasers.”