LaSalle Cancels Strawberry Festival

LaSalle held its first online Regular Meeting of Council on April 14. During the meeting, Town of LaSalle Council approved the recommendation to cancel the 2020 LaSalle Strawberry Festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival was scheduled to take place from June 11 to 14.

“It was a difficult decision, but necessary under the circumstances,” said Mayor Marc Bondy. “With the current restrictions in place and the unknown of when they may be lifted, we made the responsible decision to cancel. We are continuing to support the directives of the Windsor Essex County Health Unit and Province of Ontario to social distance and stay home.”

The Province of Ontario’s Declaration of Emergency was recently extended until May 12, and it is unknown when the restrictions will be lifted. At this time, many municipalities in Ontario are cancelling events until the end of June. Larger events like the Strawberry Festival require that things like entertainment and supplies be booked well in advance.

“Ordinarily, planning would be well in progress. Much of this planning involves confirming entertainment and vendors that often require deposits that may not be refunded if the festival is cancelled at a later date,” said Patti Funaro, Recreation Manager. Payments were made to only two vendors and the Town is working to have those payments applied as credits to future events.

The Culture and Recreation Department is in the process of contacting all vendors and entertainers to advise of the cancellation. The Town of LaSalle looks forward to the 2021 festival, scheduled for June 10 to 13.

The Culture and Recreation Department was also planning to announce the introduction of the Last Call Before Fall festival, scheduled for September 11 and 12. The event will be similar to the LaSalle Craft Beer Festival featuring local vendors and entertainment. The status of the event will be reviewed in the coming weeks with a decision about the 2020 event made in July.