The Great American Market Canceled for 2020.
by Jessica Buchholz, Events Coordinator | August 4, 2020
Emporia, Kansas – The Great American Market has been cancelled for 2020. The Market is a joint effort between Emporia Main Street and its title sponsor, the Emporia Gazette, and features local stores, booth vendors, and food trucks within downtown Emporia. The Great American Market is always held on the second Saturday of September, and the cancellation means that the next Market will be held on September 11, 2021.
“We are obviously disappointed with the cancellation,” said Casey Woods, Executive Director of Emporia Main Street. “We put together a plan to space booths, encourage social distancing, require masks, and add hygiene stations to keep people safe. We know that local businesses count on traffic and sales from events like the Great American Market, and Emporia Main Street did everything we could to plan an event that could support local businesses, but we respect the decision of the Lyon County Health Department to cancel the event.”
The Great American Market is traditionally one of the largest events held in Emporia, Kansas through the Emporia Main Street organization. Pandemic related regulations have forced the cancellation of several events within the Emporia area over the past several months.
Renee Hively, the Lyon County Health Public Health Officer stated “I wish our current active cases were still below 20 as you (Emporia Main Street) had a good start to your planning process. Unfortunately, we are seeing an uptick in active cases and hospitalizations, not only here but in our surrounding counties.” Hively cited Kansas Statute KSA 65-119 in her decision, which states “The county or joint board of health or local health officer is hereby empowered and authorized to prohibit public gatherings when necessary for the control of any and all infectious or contagious disease.”
Vendors that have signed up for this year’s Great American Market can contact Emporia Main Street via email at [email protected] for a refund of their booth rental, or they can choose to apply their rental fee to the 2021 Great American Market.