Topic: NH Governor Emergency Order 17 Cancels NEAR-Fest XXVII!

[W1RC]

On March 26th 2020 NH Governor Chris Sununu issued a statewide ?stay-at-home? order that went into effect on Friday, March 27th and runs through Monday May 4th.   See below.

NEAR-Fest XXVII has been cancelled by this order.

There was no doubt this was coming; it was just a question of when. The name ?NEAR-Fest XXVII? is being retired with full honors.  We hope to see you all at the Northeast HamXposition in July and NEAR-Fest XXVIII October 16th and 17th 2020 but with a pandemic such as this there are no guarantees.  Have a safe and healthy summer!

We have never cancelled NEAR-Fest and sincerely regret that NEAR-Fest XXVII will not take place.  However even if we were permitted to open on May 1st there is no way we would do it because we have no wish to endanger ourselves, the Fair staff, our vendors and our attendees to the Corona virus.  It gets worse every day and there is no end in sight.  Indeed it may be several months or more before it is safe to go anywhere to have fun with others.  In my opinion that time will be signaled by the resumption of professional sports playing to full stadiums. 

This nightmare is so unprecedented and widespread the 2020 Decennial US Census is being postponed.  I am now officially unemployed.  Now to stay at home, collect those unemployment checks and play radio.

73,

MisterMike,W1RC,
Benevolent Dictator.


Emergency Order #17 dated March 26th, 2020.
https://www.nheconomy.com/NHEconomy/media/NH-Economy/2020-0-Emergency-Order-(1)-17_1.pdf

Exhibit A
https://htv-prod-media.s3.amazonaws.com/files/emergency-order-17-1585267833.pdf

Media coverage:
https://www.unionleader.com/news/health/coronavirus/sununu-issues-stay-at-home-order-until-early-may/article_23915a1c-8ecc-527b-8545-3df92c56937d.html?block_id=883869

https://www.wmur.com/article/live-at-3-sununu-gives-update-on-covid-19/31941704

[W1RC]

.......has NEAR-Fest XXVII been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

We have not formally cancelled NEAR-Fest XXVII despite the fact that a large number of all kinds of events, including the Dayton Hamvention, Anime Boston and the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games have already made this decision on their own or have had it made for them by government executive order.

http://forum.near-fest.com/index.php?topic=1480.0

With this in mind please hold off on making any hotel reservations or plans.  As it stands right now (Tuesday, March 24th) it doesn't seem very likely the Spring 2020 ?Fest is going to happen.  On March 16th NH Governor Chris Sununu issued an executive order setting a limit of 50 people on any group gathering that will end on April 6th.   However, given the current situation this executive order most likely will be extended which will effectively cancels NEAR-Fest XXVII and we, of course, will comply.

The above notwithstanding, we are closely monitoring the rapidly evolving global, national and local situation.  We will follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the NH State Department of Health.  The NH Department of Health COVID-19 website is here:

https://www.nh.gov/covid19/

Deerfield is in Rockingham county with the highest number of cases in NH.

On March 16th the CDC recommended mass events with over 50 people such as ours not be held for 8 weeks.  They are leaving it to the individual states to issue orders.

NEAR-Fest will continue to monitor these government agencies sites and are responding as appropriate.  Be assured that we will err on the side of caution as we do not want anyone contracting this illness at our event especially since most of us are in the age range who will be at the greatest risk. 

We have up to Friday April 24th, 2020 to cancel some of the services we use such as table and chair rentals, chemical toilets, garbage removal, etc, which add to the cost of running the hamfest. 

Postponement is not an option for us.  The Deerfield Fairgrounds are fully booked until the end of the year which includes NEAR-Fest XXVIII on October 16th. 

We will, or course, honor the terms of our contract with the Fair Association but it will likely still cost us our deposit which was over $3,000.00.  Our contract does not contain a Force Majeur provision.   I am not so worried about this because our friends who run the Deerfield Fair have much bigger problems.  All their events for the foreseeable future will not be happening either and they are always booked solid through October.  In addition, the 2020 Fair is scheduled for October 1st through the 4th and hopefully this nightmare we are living will be over by then.  But there are no guarantees. 

Our main objective is to make sure we keep ourselves, our families/loved ones, our staff and our attendees safe without worrying about monetary costs.  This is paramount. 

I promise you that NEAR-Fest will survive because we know that you are loyal attendees and do not want to lose our hamfest.  We are making plans to sell ?futures? and are asking you all to support us like many of you did in 2007 when we started it.  We will soon be offering tickets and passes for NEAR-Fest XXVIII which is scheduled for October 16th and 17th 2020 and we are urging you to buy them early.  There will be incentives. Details will be posted here soon.  If for any reason NEAR-Fest XXVIII cannot held due to the emergency measures in effect at that time all tickets and passes will be valid at the next one when this is over. So you can?t lose.

When will NEAR-Fest and other such events resume?   No idea at this time, of course, but realistically it probably won?t be very soon.  The best barometer will likely be pro sports events. When the Boston Garden or Foxborough Stadium start filling up again we will know that it will be safe to resume hamfesting.......

73,

MisterMike, W1RC, and the NEAR-Fest Management Team......

[W1RC]

P Here it is..........https://www.governor.nh.gov/news-media/orders-2020/documents/emergency-order-2.pdf

Looks like we are being shut down by government, at least until Monday April 6th.........but I am betting that the ban will be extended beyond that date.  Stay tuned for further details......

[KB1NZN]

Per MrMike, as of March 27th, 2020.  We have been canceled by the the NH Governor's Emergency Order #17, which shutters all event like ours until May 4, 2020.

https://www.governor.nh.gov/news-media/emergency-orders/documents/emergency-order-17-1.pdf

So our next event will be NEAR-Fest XXVIII in October.