As the COVID-19 pandemic prompts event cancellations and cuts, the local Jingle Cross celebration expects to go on as planned in October.
"Obviously, being an event during this challenging year, we're watching events cancel left and right," said John Meehan, promoter and race director for Jingle Cross 2020.
Jingle Cross,a three-day,non-profitbicycle event based out of Iowa City,benefits the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital.
In planning the event this year, Meehan was not only watching dubious recurrence statusof other local events like IC Pride and North Liberty Blues & BBQ, but global and national events. The planning committee has observed how the NCAA and the Tour de France have handled things for this year.
"We want to do whatever's best for the public first," Meehan said. "I am a physician myself, and we're not going to do anything that's going to put anyone at risk."
That said, the path forward looks promising for Jingle Cross's announced schedule from Oct. 9 to Oct. 11.