MerleFest is canceled
Management of the MerleFest four-day series of concerts announced Friday that the 2020 event is cancelled.
"In response to directives from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and growing concerns about the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Wilkes County officials have cancelled all mass gatherings of more than 100 people in Wilkes County through the end of April. Therefore, MerleFest 2020 has been cancelled. While this decision is disappointing for all of us, we fully support the directive from our county officials. The health, safety, and well-being of all involved with MerleFest is, and always will be, our primary concern," organizers announced.
"As you know, MerleFest serves as the largest fundraising event in support of the students of Wilkes Community College. The WCC Foundation, which plans and manages the festival each year, has already incurred significant costs in the lead up to MerleFest 2020," said Mickey Jennings of Wilkes Community College.
"We need your help. We are calling on all our loyal fans, supporters and sponsors of MerleFest to help alleviate the financial burden this puts on the college in this unprecedented moment of crisis. Please consider converting your 2020 sponsorship to a donation or rolling your sponsorship over to 2021. This will help sustain the mission of MerleFest and its impact on WCC students," Jennings said.
"For those who have purchased tickets, we will offer three options:
- Option 1 - Convert your purchase to a donation. Convert your festival purchase to a 100 percent tax deductible contribution to the WCC Foundation to help sustain the mission of MerleFest and its impact on WCC students.
- Option 2 - Roll your tickets forward. Ticket holders may roll purchases over to MerleFest 2021. This option allows fans to retain the same seat, package, parking, ticket, etc. at 2020 prices. The dates for next year’s festival are April 29 - May 2, 2021. Please consider the roll forward option in support of the festival.
- Option 3 - Refund. If for any reason you feel that neither option 1 nor 2 is appropriate for you, we can certainly offer you a refund for your ticket order. All refunds must be requested by April 15. We will refund everything except service charges, which are non-refundable."
Jennings said the school asks for patience "while we work through the transition process."