Dear Friends,

 

No business incorporates a pandemic as a part of its business plan. Yet here we are today, confronting a virus that is not only lethal but also a rapidly moving target. Throughout the summer we have been working closely and diligently with the Health Department to assure a safe environment for our visitors and all of the Yankee Peddlers, and throughout all this time it looked like it was a “go.” Alas, all that work has been swept aside by a projected new surge in covid cases in Ohio: both Stark County and the state Department of Health “pulled the plug” today after so much work had already been done on the grounds. So it is that the Yankee Peddler Festival will be taking a sabbatical in 2020.

 

Many of us have never known the month of September without Yankee Peddler. For others of us, the last time we experienced September without Yankee Peddler was so long ago that we cannot even remember what it is like. Discovering or rediscovering the dimensions of an “empty” September is not a choice, though, and it is truly painful. But it is a matter of public health and, hence, a matter of the greater good. Yankee Peddler has always stood for something much more than a place to buy arts and crafts, to listen to great music, to enjoy outdoor fare, and to experience our history. Everything the Yankee Peddlers present is a work of human creativity and inspiration. And even though we had no plans to take a sabbatical, in doing so the Yankee Peddlers now stand for the greater good. And right now that takes precedence over everything else.

 

Sabbaticals in the business and academic worlds are given to regroup, recharge, and refresh one’s energy. So too Yankee Peddler will return in 2021 stronger and full of life and energy. The continued success of Yankee Peddler over the span of 47 years has laid the foundation for its success in the future!

 

Those who have purchased Advance Sale tickets online will receive a refund shortly.

 

We hope that you will join us again in 2021!

 

We wish you well and will miss you! Please stay safe!

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