The Granville Community Foundation’s Sept. 10 dinner honoring Telescope’s 100th anniversary in Granville and the Sept. 11 “family-style” event have been postponed to Sept. 9-10 of next year because of rising numbers of COVID-19 in Washington County.
“We reviewed the CDC guidelines in a meeting with the Washington County Department of Public Health this past week (Aug. 12). In that meeting, it became readily apparent that, given the size of our event and how close the tables would be within the tent, coupled with the fact that all attendees would be removing a mask to eat, it would be impossible to implement the CDC guidelines,” said foundation chairman Michael Freed.
“As a new organization that is trying to invest in the future of Granville, the last thing we would want to do is be responsible for bringing the community any harm, and we’re particularly sensitive to the fact that this event is occurring right at the time when unvaccinated children are returning to school.
“We plan on being here for many years to come and we look forward to a time next year when we can gather and celebrate Telescope’s great history in Granville.”
The decision was approved on Aug. 18 by the seven-person advisory board, composed of Freed, Denise Davies, Kathy Juckett, Jenine Macura, Martha Hicks Pofit, Rick Roberts and Michael Somich, with all members of the planning committee notified on Aug. 19.
“We can tolerate the complexity of the logistics of rescheduling, if necessary, but not the risk of a child or community member being infected,” said event co-chair Martha Hicks Pofit. “We can see the trend, it’s just undeniable and the trajectory is not sustainable.”
Those who have purchased tables for the Sept. 10 dinner will be contacted to either receive a full refund or to hold their table for next year’s event. The Granville Lions Club and Glens Falls National Bank are working on a method to ensure refunds for those who cannot attend next year, which will be available soon on the foundation’s website at www.glensfallsfoundation.org/granville.
Juckett, CEO of Telescope Casual Furniture Inc., was in full agreement and anticipates next year’s festivities.
“We have worked tirelessly to keep COVID-19 out of our facility and to do our part to keep the Granville community safe. We must continue to fight against COVID-19, therefore, we have made the safety-first decision to postpone our “100 years in Granville” celebrations until Sept. 9 and 10 of 2022,” Juckett said.
“We expect our postponement to allow us time as a community to recover from this resurgence of Covid-19 in our region plus continue to plan for an even better event in 2022.”
Pofit and co-chair Michael Somich have had frequent conversations with officials from Washington County Public Health, Granville Town Supervisor Matt Hicks, the Village of Granville and Granville Central School District leading to this decision.
“We’re investing in the health of Granville by doing this,” Somich said.
The foundation is optimistic the year-long anticipation will generate a positive, celebratory outing, after 1,000 tickets were sold in under a month this year.
“An event can be postponed, but the spirit underlying it can never be canceled,” Pofit said
