The City of Gainesville announced this afternoon that it is cancelling the annual Spring Chicken Festival due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
A post on the Gainesville Georgia Government Facebook page states, “After much discussion and deliberation, the city of Gainesville – along with respected community partners – is sad to announce it will not hold the 2020 Gainesville Spring Chicken Festival. COVID-19 has caused so much uncertainty in our community, as it has across the U.S., and organizers would rather err on the side of caution and cancel the event.”
The annual event is held to honor the history of the poultry industry in Gainesville. Festivities include a chicken cook-off, where vendors have an opportunity to get creative with tasty recipes. The recipes are voted on by taste testers.
In the past, event sponsors have helped fund the “Gainesville Spring Chicken Scholarship” for students pursuing a career in the poultry industry, as well as the “You’re the Reason Scholarship” for college-bound children of City of Gainesville employees. There is no word yet on if those scholarships will be available this year.
