Jessica Smith, administrator at the Hank Snow Home Town Museum and Co-chair of the organizing committee says the event relies heavily on sponsors.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when we kinda thought about it, a lot of our sponsors are just not open for business right now and are really feeling the economic impacts of COVID-19. So with that being said, we kind of realized we\u2019d lose a lot of our sponsors. We already have lost quite a few.\u201d<\/p>\n
While she couldn\u2019t provide numbers, Smith says the roughly 2,500 visitors drawn to Liverpool by the event each year are a boon to the local economy.<\/p>\n
She says the Hank Snow Museum site and Queens Place Emera Centre provide camping for up to 150 RVs, and hotels for miles around are booked almost a year in advance for the event.<\/p>\n
But Smith is quick to point out, the economics of the situation are not as important as the people involved.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of volunteers that are in an older demographic and they\u2019re the ones who are most at risk for the pandemic right now. When we realized that things are looking more likely to be July, August \u2013 it\u2019s more about keeping our volunteers safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smith says people have become less available due to social distancing and more and more suppliers have been shutting down making planning the event almost impossible.<\/p>\n
She says she has spent most of the last week informing everyone involved of the decision to postpone until next year.<\/p>\n
The thirtieth installment of the festival was set to open at Queens Place Emera Centre on Thursday August 20 with a performance by country music legend and native of Port Mouton, Carroll Baker.<\/p>\n
![\"hank](\"https:\/\/www.qccrfm.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Hank_Snow_1970.jpg\")
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On Friday, several Nova Scotia Country Music Hall of Fame members were scheduled to perform, including Chet Brown, Don Haggart, Joanne Newman, Jamey Cotter, Sheila Newman and Matt Balsor.<\/p>\n
Saturday would have seen inductee Dale Verge of Port Mouton as the honoured guest while Sunday, fellow inductee Joyce Seamone, a Recording Artist who had a number one hit in 1972 with “Testing 1,2,3” was set to host the Grand Finale and Songwriter’s Circle.<\/p>\n
Baker has agreed to return when the thirtieth anniversary tribute is held in 2021 and the rest of the performers have been invited as well.<\/p>\n
The Region of Queens has agreed to provide funding to keep the Hank Snow Museum operational; something Smith says is key to ensuring the tribute can go ahead next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is one of our main funding sources for the year. It\u2019s definitely a big impact to us, something we rely on. So their assistance through this time has definitely been overwhelming and it\u2019s going to get us through the next few months for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because this year would\u2019ve been the thirtieth anniversary of the event, the decision to postpone was not easy.<\/p>\n
But Smith is rolling with the punches.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we\u2019re essentially just taking everything from this year and just pretending 2020 didn\u2019t happen and we\u2019re just going to go to 2021 as the 30th.\u201d<\/p>\n
While regular attendees to the Hank Snow Tribute may not have the opportunity to gather together this summer, they can look forward to picking up where they left off when the thirtieth anniversary tribute takes place during the third week of August next year.<\/p>\n