Mount Barker District Show cancelled over coronavirus epidemic
Mount Barker District Show has joined the list of coronavirus cancellations, with the organisers now down about $45,000 – and stallholders out of pocket.
Adelaide Hills
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Mount Barker District Show will have to recuperate more than $45,000 in spending after being forced to cancel its March 28 event.
Speaking exclusively to The Adelaide Hills News on Monday, show committee president Jocelyn Fry confirmed the cancellation of the event, which would have marked the last in the show circuit for this financial year.
The cancellation is due to the coronavirus and the Federal Government’s advice to abort all gatherings of more than 500 people.
Ms Fry said the committee now faced the long hurdle of notifying stallholders and trying to recuperate costs.
She said it cost around $45,000 annually to stage and market the event.
“The show is where we really make all the money for the committee and the following year’s show,” she said.
“This year we were aiming for 5000 visitors with a ticket cost of $10 per head. That’s a significant amount of money which we now won’t make.
“On top of that, we’ve already paid our contractors. So that’s for toilets, fencings, show booklets and advertising.
“A lot of that has been paid for with money we got from our key sponsors and to be honest, I’m not sure we’ll be able to pay them back.”
Ms Fry said the committee would hold a crisis meeting tonight to discuss how to move forward.
“It’s tragic really, but what can we do? Many of the people that would have attended the event are among the most vulnerable,” she said.
“This year, we had 80 stallholders looking to attend, many of which rely on the circuit for their income – so they will be even more impacted by it all, more so than us.
“We also had a record number of students going to participate in our scone competition. So much so we had to buy two extra ovens.
“So the disappointment will be felt by many and I don’t think we’ll be just postponing the event. I think it’ll just be a matter of being optimistic for 2021.”
Meanwhile Gumeracha Medieval Fair today announced it would postpone its event to October.
The annual event was to be held in May, however, organisers decided on a change of date instead of a cancellation.
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Those who have purchased a ticket will be eligible for a refund or may hold on to their ticket for the postponed event. See the event’s Facebook page for more information.
The Adelaide Hills Kids Farmers market on March 29 will go ahead.
Organiser Nathan Rogers said he had put measures into place to ensure the safety of attendees.
“The market will still be going ahead, there will simply be a restriction on numbers – no more than 500,” he said.
“The venue is gated, so once all of the ticket numbers are gone, people simply will not be able to enter the venue.”