T-R file photo A crowd of people gathered to watch the 2019 Oktemberfest parade route on Main Street. The 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19.

The Oktemberfest board announced Thursday the beloved fall festival is canceled because of the pandemic.

President of the board Duane Dixon said it was a combination of many challenges that led to the cancellation of the entire event. These challenges include downtown construction, safety concerns with the pandemic and getting a late start on planning.

“It was just kind of the perfect storm of things,” Dixon said.

The festival was set for September 24-27 with a theme of “Fire & Ice, Iowa Nice” to pay homage to their Diamond sponsor Lennox Industries.

The cancelation means there will not be a crowning of Little Miss and Mr. Oktemberfest, the Classic Car Show or the Grand Parade — features of Oktemberfest that draw many people.

Stephanie Anderson, vice president of the board, said the board had been working hard to decide how to put on the festival safely.

She said they were asking, “What’s the most responsible way to go about this?”

Ultimately, the board decided it would best to exercise caution by cancelling the event.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the board wrote, “We discussed and considered many of this year’s challenges, including the health and safety of the weekend’s visitors, participants, vendors and coordinators and noted other current events. Though disappointing for many, on the side of caution and respect for everyone, we have decided to not proceed with the festival this year.”

Dixon said the board came to the conclusion it would not be practical to only have some aspects of the festival.

“We decided during one of our meetings in March that it’d be all or nothing,” he said.

Dixon said he is disappointed it had to be canceled and he knows the community will feel the same way.

“We know a lot of people look forward to it,” he said.

Oktemberfest usually draws thousands of people to downtown Marshalltown, according to Dixon. 

While the cancellation will affect vendors and community members who planned to participate, it is not the first challenge the festival has faced. In 2018, tornado damage moved the festival to the Central Iowa Fairgrounds.

Despite the disappointment, the board looks forward to hosting next year’s festival from September 23 to 26, including performances from Sail On: The Beach Boys Tribute Band and Brat Pack Radio.

The board encourages anyone interested in helping to plan next year’s festival or assist with an activity to contact a board member.

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Contact Anna Shearer at 641-753-6611 or ashearer@timesrepublican.com.