ROGERS CITY — The 2020 Rogers City Nautical Festival has been canceled, event planners decided at a teleconferenced meeting on Monday.

The event was scheduled for Aug. 4 to 9.

Though more than three months remain before the event’s scheduled opening, the Nautical Festival Committee felt a decision had to be made as quickly as possible, according to Mike Stempky, committee president.

“We’re concerned about the welfare of our people,” Stempky said, relaying the committee’s fears about a second wave of the coronavirus, predicted by some to hit later in the year.

In addition to the worry about spreading the coronavirus through large groups, the committee is concerned about the negative financial impact the festival could have if officials invest in holding it but it’s not well-attended.

With many people unemployed by coronavirus-related closures, they might not have the extra money to pay for food, rides, and events at a festival, or to patronize the local businesses that depend on the festival for their annual summer boost, Stempky said. Financial success would not be assured, even if the festival had its usual attendance, the committee decided.

Planning for a multi-day festival is a year-long effort, Stempky said. Bands, concessionaires, and other festival participants have already been booked. Most have agreed to hold on to deposits and rebook for the 2021 festival.

Waiting a month to make the decision to cancel would have made the festival an impossibility, said Stempky, citing the numerous practical steps that would need to be taken in coming weeks to plan the event, from securing volunteers to applying for a liquor license to approving dealers for the annual Texas Hold ’em poker tournament through the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

“It was tough, but we had to do it,” Stempky said of the committee’s decision, which was met with a mixture of support and derision from residents as the Nautical City learned of the fate of its much-loved signature event.

Julie Riddle can be reached at 989-358-5693, jriddle@thealpenanews.com or on Twitter @jriddleX.