The popular Scarecrow Invasion and Family Festival in Meaford has been paused indefinitely.
Event Chair Donna Earl says that while the event's executive committee holds out hope that the event can go on, the remaining few members have decided after many hours of deliberation that they cannot continue under its current planning structure.
"We've lost the majority of volunteers in leadership roles" says Earl, who noted that the average age of the executive is currently somewhere between 70-80 years old. "Our executive went from about 12 people down to about 4-5. The positions we are missing are really key for the success of the Scarecrow Invasion."
Earl says it's disheartening to be at this stage after the 2022 event "was probably the best ever."
"We celebrated our 25th anniversary in 2022, we did it with very few people serving on the executive, or in the chairs of the various committees."
Earl says that while the event has been paused, the executive is holding out a lot of hope that volunteers will make themselves available over the coming months, with an eye towards an event possibly at the end of 2023, or, sometime in 2023.
"Nothing is impossible. We hate to see it end, but have to take a wait and see attitude right now" said Earl.