Americade 2020 is canceled, Christian Dutcher, CEO of Americade, announced on July 2nd in a Facebook message to the community.
“Up until last week, we felt pretty good about the event. We had a full expo. We had motorcycle manufacturers. We had a safety plan that was very sound and that New York state had embraced.” Dutcher said.
“When we rescheduled the event, our primary objective was to have a safe event,” Dutcher said. But, during the previous week, things have changed. “We have gone from feeling like we can comfortably run a safe event, to feeling like, ‘we’re not so sure’. And, that’s not a position we want to be in”, he said.
Americade draws attendees from all over the country and this is a cause for concern.
“It’s extremely disappointing,” Dutcher said.
Americade is offering full refunds to all who have preregistered. If registrants put their 2020 registration fee towards Americade 2021, they will receive an extra $20 credit and be allowed to register a week before anyone else. Early registration allows attendees to register for high demand events before they sell out.
The cancellation is a blow to Warren County, where the event is hosted. Estimates place the economic activity generated by the event between $20 million and $46 million.
Lake George Region Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Gina Mintzer said the cancellation meant a substantial loss of revenue for the county’s businesses.
“It’s a big economic hit for the area, but it’s truly the right thing to do,” she said, noting that Dutcher was focusing on protecting the health and well-being of the area citizens as well as the rally’s participants and vendors, rather than seeking financial gain.
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Americade Web Site