Will it be safe to hold a conventional Bedford Day parade and street fair on September 19?
If there will be a cancellation, the Select Board will decide no later than August 1.
“It’s very much on people’s radar, but is it safe? Is this the right thing to do?” said Town Manager Sarah Stanton.
Select Board Chair Ed Pierce said, “we’re in a gap period right now, but groups need to order supplies, and if we wait too long some vendors may not be able to react in time.”
Recreation Director Amy Hamilton, who with her department has coordinated Bedford Day activities for many years, said she told the town manager she could wait until August before a decision is necessary. “People sign up online, and it does not take us that long to get things organized,” she said.
Bedford Day has not been part of any formal discussion for two months, Hamilton said. “A couple of months ago I said, ‘Of course Bedford Day is happening. And so is the Boston Marathon.”
“I was optimistic at first,” she continued. “But Bedford Day is so crowded that you can hardly walk. That’s what makes it great.” Will the restrictions on groups be relaxed in three months? “I have no idea. So many events have been targeted for September.”
Hamilton lamented the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on recreation programs and events.
“This is what we do — we bring people together, at all levels. This is affecting everybody.” She said throughout her career she has tried to expect the unexpected, “but that always involved people.”
The Summer Adventures day camp program, which begins next week, “is designed to keep the kids away from being in big crowds. I think it will be great – it’s just going to be so different.”
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