Annual Downtown Block Party Cancelled

Source: Amherst BID

The Amherst BID announced on Tuesday (9/7) that it is cancelling the 2021 Block Party, scheduled to happen this year on Friday, September 17.  The difficult decision was reached after consulting with public health experts as well as businesses and community members.

 A posting on the BID Facebook page stated, “The Block Party has an undeniable food-forward focus where contact is inevitable and masks are cumbersome and make it difficult to communicate. We are also very aware that our children under 12 are still not vaccinated and we do not want to put anyone at risk of exposure but also did not want to have our youngest community members miss out on more, knowing it was happening and not being able to attend for their safety. While we feel very confident that being outdoors without masks is safe, we do not want in any way to build an event that could be responsible for any rise in numbers and therefore create a stricter mask mandate or gathering restrictions. We are also very aware of how many of our small businesses are struggling to find staff and are working tirelessly to keep their businesses open. Adding the stress of manning outdoor tents while keeping their establishments open was a prominent factor in this decision”.