WOONSOCKET – First and foremost, the 2020 Autumnfest Steering Committee would like to thank our wonderful supporters that have made this festival the celebration that it is for now 42 years. The countless amounts of hours of our dedicated committee members and volunteers are truly something to be proud of. The community partners such as the Rotary Club of Woonsocket and the City of Woonsocket have been invaluable to keep this tradition going for more than four decades. Our sponsors who graciously donate funds to keep this festival free each year also deserve our recognition as well as our numerous vendors who participate each year. With all that being said, due to the restrictions and regulations because of COVID-19, we have decided as a family that Autumnfest 2020 will be "The Year That Didn't Happen" and not hold our festival this year.
We are deeply saddend by this decision, however we have chosen this path to put our community first and keep all safe and healthy as our top priority. The planning for Autumnfest does take all year long and trying to accomplish the logistical tasks in this uncertain environment with regulations and restrictions constantly changes makes pulling off a celebration like this nearly impossible. Though we will miss you in person this year, we will be holding some smaller pop up contests and promotions for Autumnfest so stay tuned for that information as it comes out on our website and social media accounts. We also will be driving around on the Columbus Day holiday on Monday with a vehicle parade to show our support for our 2020 Grand Marshals which will be our incredible essential workers and our dedicated first responders who are the real heroes of 2020.
2020 General Chairperson Garrett Mancieri says, "We know how disappointing this decision is and we want everyone to know that we share that emotion with all of you. There are things in life, such as this situation, which are simply out of our control and all we can do is make the best out of it and use this time and opportunity to plan for a better celebration next year in 2021 and for many more years to come. We want to assure everyone that we have every intention of bringing this festival back next year and we are determined to make it better than it ever was before to continue our this long standing tradition of holding the largest festival in Northern Rhode Island, here in the beautiful and historic City of Woonsocket."
2020-2021 Rotary Club of Woonsocket President Roger Bouchard says, "We also share our disappointment along with our partners at the Autumnfest Steering Committee for the cancellation of this long standing tradition here in Woonsocket. The Woonsocket Rotary Club stands committed to partnering again in 2021 to make this festival even better and unify the community once again showcasing the special community that we are fortunate to call our home."
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