Huntsville Leader

Athens State University issued the following announcement on Aug 6.

With the health and safety of guests in mind due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fiddlers Steering Committee has announced that the 54th Annual Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention scheduled for October 1-3, 2020, has been canceled. Additionally, the remaining shows in the 2020 Fiddlers Concert Series have been canceled.

The Committee is working to reschedule entertainment slated to perform at this year’s Convention to perform at the 2021 Fiddlers Convention, which is scheduled for Thursday, September 30, 2021, through Saturday, October 2, 2021. The Concert Series events are also being rescheduled; more details will be announced as plans are finalized.

Alabama is currently under a “Safer at Home” order until August 31, 2020, and there is much uncertainty surrounding what COVID-19 guidelines for the State will be in effect this fall. With approximately 10,000 visitors attending each year over the three-day event, Fiddlers Convention organizers and University officials indicated there would be no way to ensure proper social distancing and no method to properly screen campus visitors for symptoms of COVID-19 or exposure to individuals who are currently infected with the virus.

“The Fiddlers Convention is a much-anticipated event each year, and we are disappointed that we must cancel it for 2020,” stated Rick Mould, event organizer. “However, we feel moving forward with the Convention would not be in the best interest of our competitors, judges, entertainers, guests, or event staff.”

The Office of University Advancement will be reaching out to those who have purchased advance tickets for either the Convention or the Concert Series regarding refunds, as well as to our arts and crafts vendors who have paid in advance for booth space.

We would like to thank our title sponsor, Aetos Systems, for their tremendous support, along with our other sponsors including Alabama Farmers Cooperative, Dream Key Realtors, Redstone Federal Credit Union, and Nanny’s Old Fashion Lemonade. Additionally, our appreciation goes to the Muscle Shoals National Heritage Area for the grant funding that is instrumental in making this event such a success.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of University Advancement at 256-233-8185 or advancement@athens.edu. We look forward to seeing everyone next year.

Original source can be found here.