Harvard’s annual Memorial Day parade and Fourth of July festivities have been canceled for the second year in a row. The Apple Blossom Festival, Garden Club plant sale, and the library book sale have also been canceled, rounding out the list of scrapped events townspeople would normally be enjoying together at this time of year.
Anne Hentz, chair of the Fourth of July committee, had already told the Press there would be no fireworks this year. State guidelines limit the number of people who can gather in an outdoor public setting, making the traditional fireworks display impossible.
The spring book sale always draws a good crowd and is a big fundraiser for the library. Friends of the Harvard Public Library President Christopher Frechette explained, “Normally, we’d be collecting books now and the sale would be the first two weekends of May.” However, the event is held indoors, so many volunteers would be in close quarters with an abundance of patrons, making it difficult to socially distance. Since last fall, the library has had a book cart outside where people can buy books when it is open and weather permits. Frechette hopes the book sale can resume next spring.
Like the Fourth of July celebration, the Bare Hill Triathlon, which is organized by the Lions Club, was canceled last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, founder Sue Reedich said the organizers were hopeful they would have one this year. Reedich explained, “We already had to postpone the June date as we wait for the governor to reopen road races.” Currently, the group has named a new date of Aug. 8, but if races don’t open back up before then, “We’ll next aim for Oct. 3.” The group will be planning the event as it was in 2019 with a simultaneous triathlon and duathlon. Reedich said this time, “The duathlon replaces the swim with a trail run.”
