A day after Clear Lake announced the cancellation of its 2020 Fourth of July Celebration events due to COVID-19, another popular summer event has been called off this year.
The Bicycle, Blues and BBQ Festival and the Brews on the Beach Craft Beer Festival scheduled for July 10-12 have been canceled, the organizers announced Wednesday morning on social media.
“As a small volunteer organization we just do not feel we could reasonably hold the BBBQ Festival events while also following Public Health guidelines,” said Tim Putnam, festival director, and Matt Curtis, race director, in a Facebook post.
The festival — a jam-packed weekend with bicycles, blues, barbecue and brews — attracts thousands of visitors, including 350 cyclists from 15 states, to North Iowa.
The events are made possible by more than 150 volunteers who are responsible for keeping athletes safe and managing the weekend’s events.
“This all adds up to nearly 10,000 who come into one central location in Clear Lake and we just know we would not be able to provide the needed protocols that would give everyone the confidence of a safe and healthy environment,” the post continued. “With this, we choose to err on the side of public safety and cancel this year’s planned events.”
The festival was started 16 years ago and has grown in participants and offerings.
Proceeds from the Bicycle, Blues and BBQ Festival support improving the healthy lifestyle through bicycle-related activities to include creating and improving bicycle trails, bicycle safety training, supporting cycling events and activities and improving the amenities related to cycling.
Brews on the Beach, which is hosted by Lake Time Brewery, was added to the Bicycle, Blues and BBQ Festival in 2015.
Last year’s event drew nearly 1,000 people to the beach to enjoy 30 Iowa craft breweries and their finest brews.
The Bicycle, Blues and BBQ and Brews on the Beach festivals will return to Clear Lake on July 9-11, 2021.
For more information about the Bicycle, Blues and BBQ Festival, visitwww.bicyclebluesbbq.comor follow theBicycle, Blues & BBQ Facebook page.