Onset Bay Association cancels summer events

May 21, 2020

Onset Village will be quieter than usual this summer, as the coronavirus pandemic has forced the Onset Bay Association to cancel all of its events through Labor Day. 

This includes the Summer of Love Concerts on Wednesday nights, the Canal Cruise and Kayak Poker Run in June; fireworks, Sandcastle Day, and Midsummer Shakespeare in July; the Onset Blues Festival, Chalk-Full-O-Fun Street Painting Festival, and Illumination Night in August; and the Kite Festival in September. 

Kat Jones of the Onset Bay Association said she was sympathetic to all of the vendors and local businesses who will be impacted by the lack of summer events. 

On a positive note, she said that she sees the situation “as an opportunity for us to reevaluate,” and that it has forced organizers to be more creative in their planning. 

Jones added that the Onset Bay Association is hoping to adapt by hosting virtual events or, perhaps, a telethon this summer. 

Because information has been changing rapidly during the pandemic, Jones said that Onset Bay Association organizers will be meeting every couple of weeks to plan ahead and adapt as the situation progresses. 

Jones said that the association will reevaluate whether or not it can continue with fall events later in July or August. 

Jones added that the Onset Bay Association Chili Contest, which was originally scheduled for March, has been tentatively postponed to October. She said all of the contestants are “still on board” for that event.

For more information on events, see the Onset Bay Association Facebook page.