Black Dirt Days cancelled; Wellsburg Daze, Beaman Memorial Day status undetermined

AREA- The committee in charge of one of the first summer town festivals in Grundy County has made the difficult decision to cancel the event in light of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and restrictions on gatherings over 10 people.

Black Dirt Days, normally held on the second weekend in June in downtown Conrad, has officially been nixed for 2020. A Facebook post announcing the move was shared on Tuesday, April 21.

“It is with a heavy, heavy heart that the Black Dirt Days committee has made the tough decision to cancel our 2020 event. Due to the current COVID19 pandemic, we feel it would not be in our community’s best interest to continue planning an event for such a large crowd,” the post reads. “We cannot stress our appreciation and thankfulness enough for the generous donations from our patrons to support us and our event. Be assured, your donations will be safe and used towards our 2021 event!”

The Beaman Betterment Club has not made an official decision on its Memorial Day weekend celebration yet, but chairwoman Deb Ashton told The Grundy Register that a complete cancellation was the likely due to the continued restrictions on gatherings even as much of the state will be reopened on May 1. Ashton expected club members to meet sometime later this week and make a formal decision.

The status of Wellsburg Daze, which usually begins the same weekend as Black Dirt Days before the main events on the following Monday and Tuesday, remains officially undetermined.

Alyce Johnson of the Wellsburg Community Club told The Grundy Register that they plan to either make a decision on May 1 or wait until May 15 to see if more restrictions are lifted.

There have been no announcements on other major festivals in Grundy County held later in the summer, including the Reinbeck Fourth of July celebration, Felix Grundy Days, the county fair, Watermelon Days in Dike and Pioneer Heritage Days in Morrison.