I glanced across my office and noticed one of the beautiful hand-carved walking sticks leaning in a corner, and it made me a little melancholy.
The stick was a gift from a family member who’d attended the Warrens Cranberry Festival, which over the years has become one of the Upper Midwest’s largest arts and crafts exhibitions. Unfortunately, organizers were forced to announce earlier this week that this year’s Cranberry Festival is another victim of the coronavirus pandemic.
My melancholy about the cancellation isn’t only because of the exhibition itself — though I am a major supporter of the arts and artists and attend many art shows, I’ve never been a big fan of being part of the wonderfully large crowds that attend such a successful event. Instead, that melancholy leans toward the loss of something that so promotes a small, rural community and the agricultural product for which it’s named.
Small communities depend on the revenue generated from events such as the Cranberry Festival, fairs and so many other festivals named for a myriad of commodities. The events allow for donations to parks, scholarships and other projects and programs traditionally not funded by taxes.
Besides the revenue losses, it’s always good to have attention turned to the commodities for which many of those festivals are named. Cranberries, milk, beef, corn, apples, honey and other locally grown farm products receive rightful homage because of those events.
While it’s so sad to see this year’s events canceled, I have faith that they’ll be back as strong as ever next year.
I certainly look forward to them.
— Scott Schultz
Leave a Reply