The Boone Chamber announced on Friday that they are cancelling Pufferbilly Days. I think it is the only responsible thing that they can do. I was worried that they would hold it, after the Boone County Fair decided to go on. Pufferbilly Days worried more than the Boone County Fair because way more people come to Pufferbilly Days and from way more places. Put in conjunction with IMCA Super Nationals, it was not going to be a good situation for the Coronavirus in Boone.

Here is the press release:

After much consideration, deliberation, research and countless hours of working to find solutions that would provide a safe and fun environment for patrons that would attend the Pufferbilly Days™ festival, the Boone County Chamber of Commerce has decided to cancel the celebration for 2020. A number of factors played a part in arriving at this decision:

• Guidance from the Boone County Board of Health:

– Despite earlier projections in April and May of a lessening of COVID-19 cases to a level of nearly eliminating positive test outcomes by September, current case numbers have not declined to the levels previously expected and new projections show the potential for a reoccurrence by that time this year.

– With the Farm Progress Show and the IMCA Supernationals, two major events typically attended by visitors from outside Boone County and the state, and that immediately precede Pufferbilly Days™, the potential for a surge or hotspot of cases greatly increases and could substantially tax local healthcare resources beyond capacity.

• Currently two of Pufferbilly Days™ key festival buildings are in use by Boone County Public Health, providing drive-up COVID-19 testing, and we are committed to their continued use in this manner.

• Early indications show that it will be difficult to find enough volunteers to staff key locations for each of the planned Pufferbilly Days™ activities and across the festival grounds, making it difficult to operate events.

• Key event registrations are far behind normal numbers for this time of the year signaling the likelihood of considerable funding shortfalls and putting future festivals at risk.

In attempting to stay on course for the 2020 Pufferbilly Days™ festival it was our hope and intention to provide a “light at the end of the tunnel”, a degree of normalcy, and an opportunity for the citizens of Boone County to finally get out and enjoy what makes our area special. In arriving at this difficult decision today we believe that the challenge to provide a safe and fun environment is unattainable, financially unfeasible, and would leave our loyal festival-goers too vulnerable to the transmission of the coronavirus.

The Pufferbilly Days™ Steering Committee sincerely appreciates the many hours and dedication from it’s event chairs and other volunteers in preparing for the 2020 celebration and plans to be back strong in 2021

This means all 3 of the photo contests I enter every year have been cancelled. Oh well.

+++++++

I thought this would be the theme that killed the double digit streak, but by the skin of our teeth, we made it to 39 straight weeks of double digit submissions!

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions:

Monica Henning

Andy Sharp

Elizabeth Nordeen

Carla Stensland

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Michelle Haupt

Mike Vest

Becky Parmelee

Jen Ensley-Gorshe

Cathie Raley

Carla Stensland

Carla Stensland

Jesse Howard

But enough dwelling on the past. Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:

BLACK AND WHITE

BLACK AND WHITE!!! I think you know that this is by far my favorite theme! It is simple. Just take a BLACK AND WHITE image and submit it. Boom! End of story!

I look forward to seeing your submissions!

+++++++

HOUSEKEEPING

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 RULES DIVISION

The picture has to be taken the week of the theme. This isn’t a curate your pictures challenge. This is a get your butt off the couch (my personal experience) and put your camera in your hands challenge. Don’t send me a picture of you next to the Eiffel Tower, when I know you were in Iowa all week. I will point out that I have let that slide some in the past. I will not in the future. Since it is literally about the only rule.

Your submission needs to be emailed to bennett@photography139.com by 11 AM on the Monday of the challenge due date.

OR

I now allow people to text me their submissions. In the past, I had made exceptions for a couple people that aren’t real computer savvy, even though it was an inconvenience for me and required at least 3 extra steps for me. I am now lifting that embargo because I have a streamline way of uploading photos. I’m not giving out my phone number, but if you have it, you can text me.

It should be pointed out that this blog auto-publishes at 12:01 on Mondays. So it wouldn’t hurt to get your picture in earlier.

That is it, them’s the rules.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PHOTOGRAPHY 139 SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION DIVISION

Nobody showed class, taste, and sophistication this week by signing up for a Photography 139 email subscription. I’ll try and do better next week.

+++++++

That’s all I got for today, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will commune right here again next Monday. Hopefully it will be a very monochrome Monday!