July 2, 2020 at 2:59 p.m.
Engine show ought to be canceled
Letter to the editor
Engine show ought to be canceled
To the editor:
I was born here in Portland and have attended nearly every one of the engine shows in the past 55 years.
I will miss the 2020 show.
With today’s COVID-19 reporting, more than half of the United States is seeing a major upsurge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Currently, Indiana is not one of them, but our neighbor, Ohio, is.
We have been fortunate thus far that we in Jay County have had only 67 cases and zero deaths. Indiana (at last report) will be moving forward with Stage 5 “re-opening” by Saturday. This means there will be no more restrictions, despite evidence from other states that the coronavirus illness is increasing, rather than declining.
On June 21, the directors of the engine show met to vote on whether or not to go ahead with the 2020 show. According to last week’s newspaper story, the vote to proceed was close at 10-8. I was sorry to see the vote go this way. It might be different if the show was a local event (as the Jay County Fair), but it’s not. The engine show is a national, or global, event that typically brings tens of thousands of people from all over the country/world to our little town.
The news article said that the show “would only be canceled if required by state or local government in the case of a spike in coronavirus cases.” I’m not clear on who could require the cancellation — the mayor? governor? — or if whoever could actually would, but with 60% of states having a major spike in cases, it seems reasonable to cancel now, before it’s too late.
The article quoted a Facebook post that “if you are afraid, stay home!”
It’s not about being afraid, it’s about being responsible.
It’s about keeping Portland/Jay County citizens safe and healthy. It’s about caring for others as much or more than yourself. I think it’s a big mistake to invite that many people worldwide into Portland and Jay County in the midst of a global pandemic.
This vote to go ahead with the show in 2020 is not only irresponsible, it’s dangerous, and quite possibly deadly. I don’t know if the directors’ vote was public or private, but it would be interesting to know which directors voted to protect the Portland/Jay County citizens, and which ones decided it would be OK to sacrifice us.
Gary Fifer
Portland
I was born here in Portland and have attended nearly every one of the engine shows in the past 55 years.
I will miss the 2020 show.
With today’s COVID-19 reporting, more than half of the United States is seeing a major upsurge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Currently, Indiana is not one of them, but our neighbor, Ohio, is.
We have been fortunate thus far that we in Jay County have had only 67 cases and zero deaths. Indiana (at last report) will be moving forward with Stage 5 “re-opening” by Saturday. This means there will be no more restrictions, despite evidence from other states that the coronavirus illness is increasing, rather than declining.
On June 21, the directors of the engine show met to vote on whether or not to go ahead with the 2020 show. According to last week’s newspaper story, the vote to proceed was close at 10-8. I was sorry to see the vote go this way. It might be different if the show was a local event (as the Jay County Fair), but it’s not. The engine show is a national, or global, event that typically brings tens of thousands of people from all over the country/world to our little town.
The news article said that the show “would only be canceled if required by state or local government in the case of a spike in coronavirus cases.” I’m not clear on who could require the cancellation — the mayor? governor? — or if whoever could actually would, but with 60% of states having a major spike in cases, it seems reasonable to cancel now, before it’s too late.
The article quoted a Facebook post that “if you are afraid, stay home!”
It’s not about being afraid, it’s about being responsible.
It’s about keeping Portland/Jay County citizens safe and healthy. It’s about caring for others as much or more than yourself. I think it’s a big mistake to invite that many people worldwide into Portland and Jay County in the midst of a global pandemic.
This vote to go ahead with the show in 2020 is not only irresponsible, it’s dangerous, and quite possibly deadly. I don’t know if the directors’ vote was public or private, but it would be interesting to know which directors voted to protect the Portland/Jay County citizens, and which ones decided it would be OK to sacrifice us.
Gary Fifer
Portland
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