September 2, 2020 10:00 a.m.

Add the Winston-Dillard Melon Festival to the list of things that are not happening this summer.

A post on the organization’s Facebook page made it official on Tuesday.

Festival President Clay Caldwell told News Radio 1240 KQEN the event was scheduled for September 18th through the 20th which falls under the time when fairs, festivals, rodeos and similar events are prohibited or have to be modified due to orders by Oregon Governor Kate Brown.

Caldwell said if they would have proceeded with the event, they would have risked potential fines. He said that would have devastated the small organization. Caldwell said their biggest concern was social distancing and being able to follow the state guidelines. He said the decision to cancel the festival was made by the group’s board.

Caldwell told KQEN they put off the decision as long as possible as it was a hard decision to make. He said the organizers enjoy the festival as much as the community likes coming to it.