PUNXSUTAWNEY — The COVID-19 crisis has led to numerous schedule changes already this spring, and looking ahead to summer, there are lots of questions as to what events will and won’t be held. For many, a hope for return to normalcy remains, but the pandemic has led to the cancellation of one local summer event thus far, as the annual event held on the last Saturday in June, the Punxsutawney Firefighters Old Home Week Parade, has been cancelled for this year.
Tami McFarland, president of the Punxsutawney Fire Department, announced that the Old Home Week Committee has decided to cancel the firefighters parade due to the ongoing pandemic and not being able to judge what they would be able to do by then.
“We realize that if there was ever a year that we could use the happiness that a parade brings to the community, this is it, but with not knowing how long the pandemic is going to last, it’s becoming too late in the year to try to invite units to participate in the parade,” McFarland said, adding that it is difficult to gauge what the climate of country will be at that point.
McFarland said that with the schools being closed, there won’t be any bands able to participate, and drill teams and sports teams also would not be able to come.
She added that they would’ve liked to have had the parade, but it’s not feasible this year.
The Punxsutawney Area Chamber of Commerce has said it will wait to make a decision on the inaugural Festival in the Park until the first week of June.