The annual Festus Traditional Music Festival has been called off after some of the musicians scheduled to perform at the event have tested positive for COVID-19, said champion fiddle player George Portz, who organizes the festival.
The event was supposed to be held Saturday and Sunday (Sept. 26-27) at West City Park in Festus.
Portz said people in or associated with three of the bands that were expected to play in this year’s music festival tested positive for the virus.
He said he made the decision to cancel the festival because of those positive cases and because of the number of COVID-19 cases in Jefferson County.
The music festival was held the past eight years at West City Park after being held 23 years at Fort Kaskaskia Historic Site in Ellis Grove, Ill.
Portz said plans are for the event to be back in Festus next year.
“We will pray this is all water under the bridge and we’ll be done with COVID,” he said.
Typically, the music festival brings big-name bands that perform bluegrass, country, Cajun and traditional Irish music, as well as top-level cloggers and Irish dancers.
Portz performs with the George Portz & His Friends of Bluegrass Band.
The festival also usually includes vendors.
