Erin Hays was holding out on the idea that COVID-19 restrictions soon would start to ease in Indiana allowing people to come together again for public events.
Just like everybody else, he was ready for what would be the ninth annual Scoop the Loop in downtown Seymour on Aug. 22.
The annual homecoming attraction was founded by Hays and has grown over the years drawing huge crowds of hundreds if not thousands of people.
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But with the number of positive cases of the novel coronavirus continuing to spike in some areas, Hays decided it was just too much of a public health risk to move forward with plans for the event.
On Friday, via a social media post, Hays made the announcement many feared, that Scoop the Loop for 2020 is cancelled.
Before making the decision, Hays said he spent several days reading through state issued mandates regarding public gatherings and masks. He had conversations with officials from the Jackson County Health Department and Seymour City Hall on what kind of options he had.
“It basically comes down to a couple things,” Hays said.
The first issue involves crowd size which the state continues to limit to 250 people as part of the ongoing Stage 4.5 of Governor Eric Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana plan to reopen.
“Since it’s open streets, I cannot come close to controlling this,” Hays said of the logistics of Scoop the Loop.
The other problem is requiring and enforcing all attendees wear a face mask.
“Again, it’s just not feasible for me to control this,” he said.
In June, Hays’ had high hopes Scoop the Loop would go on as planned.
“If the state would have opened as scheduled, there would be no restrictions by now, but with all the current mandates, we are just going to have to cancel it,” he said. “Sorry I couldn’t make this happen.”
Hays said in the future, he is looking to organize a Scoop the Loop Committee and possibly add a second event in 2021.
As of now, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 108 Pre-Scoop Cruise-in and Car Show is still on schedule for Aug. 21.
In its fifth year, the event is a fundraiser for the FOP’s Cops and Kids program.
Last year’s car show had nearly 250 vehicles entered and raised $22,000. Most of that money goes to purchase Christmas presents for kids.
This year’s Pre-Scoop Car Show is from 3 to 6 p.m. in the Walnut Street and Robertson parking lots. It is being held in memory of organizer Tom Gray who was a member of the Seymour Area Cruisers Car Club.
Gray died Dec. 30, 2019, at the age of 52 of esophageal cancer.
Hays encouraged people to support the FOP and have a fun but safe time doing so.
“They have been able to meet the mandates and they have a good plan for the event,” he said.