The Rhododendron Festival Association announced on its Facebook page April 4 that the annual festival, the cornerstone of the Port Townsend tourist season, is officially canceled.
Lori Morris, president of the festival association, said the decision was made after Gov. Jay Inslee extended his “stay home, stay healthy” order until May 5.
Even if the order is lifted on May 5, Morris said, it would be too close to the festival to feel comfortable and the state still might restrict event sizes.
The association considered rescheduling the event but only found two available weekends, neither of which were open for Funtastic, the carnival facilitator.
Morris said because of all of the canceled fundraising events, the festival association is not in a great financial position for next year, and the board is unsure of its next steps.
A big challenge, Morris said, is that the board cannot meet in person to discuss how it should proceed.
“The biggest heartbreak for me is the royalty,” Morris said. “They worked so hard for this and now it’s not going to happen.”
She said changes to next year’s event to help continuity are on the table for discussion. For example 2020 royalty will not get a chance fulfill their roles this year. Should they be given the opportunity to come back in 2021?
Morris said she has heard nothing but positive feedback from the community. She said she feels most people think this was the right thing to do, and hope the 2021 festival will be bigger and better than ever.
“This was a really hard decision, but the safety of our community is the most important thing,” Morris said.
