A spike has been driven into the 2020 edition of Port Moody’s biggest party.
The 44th annual Golden Spike Days festival, which celebrates the city’s railway heritage, was scheduled to take place June 27 to July 1. It attracts about 40,000 people to Rocky Point Park each year for events like spike-driving competitions, a talent show, live entertainment, food and crafts.
In a statement posted to the festival’s website, the president of the Golden Spike Days festival society, Ken Nielsen, said the decision to cancel wasn’t easy.
“Given the fact that the planning of the festival is done exclusively by volunteers, it is difficult to adequately plan for the event given the short time period that could be remaining,” he said, adding the organization also needed to give notice to its suppliers and vendors.
Port Moody’s city manager, Tim Savoie, said no decision has yet been made on Canada Day celebrations that dovetail into the Golden Spike event.
He said the city’s cancellation of its own events and facility bookings through May 30 is based on the direction provided by B.C.’s provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, on March 16.
Savoie said the city is monitoring information coming from public health authorities.
“We’ll make decisions about city services, programs, and facilities with the health and safety of our residents in mind,” he said, adding the city’s emergency operations centre staff, as well as council, will determine in the next couple of weeks whether summer events go ahead based upon the latest information from the provincial health authority.
“We understand that event organizers and suppliers need to know well in advance if an event is going ahead as scheduled.”It’s just the latest in a series of city and community events to be scrubbed as a public safety measure in the current COVIC-19 pandemic.
The cancellation of Golden Spike Days is just the latest in several city and community events that have been scrubbed because of pulbic health and safety concerns. Also cancelled are:
- the Greater Vancouver food truck festival that was scheduled for Inlet park on April 11;
- the spring dragon boat regatta, scheduled for April 18 at Rocky Point Park;
- the bear essentials nature talk and walk at Noons Creek hatchery April 19, as well as the Enchanted Forest shadow puppet presentation at the Glenayre community centre later the same day.
- a bats at night talk scheduled for April 24.
- the city-wide garage sale April 25.
- a pollinator planting party at Pioneer Memorial Park on April 26.
- the 28th annual Fingerling festival on May 2, when 40,000 salmon were to be released into Noons Creek, at the hatchery near the Port Moody recreation centre.
- the White Pines Gala celebration of local writers, scheduled for Inlet Theatre on May 14, as well as the creative people salon-style gathering at PoMoArts earlier in the day.
