Chile Festival 2020 has been Cancelled

Acknowledging the coronavirus pandemic that we are facing, and after prayerful consideration, the governing Session of Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church voted at its meeting on Tuesday, May 12 to cancel this year’s August 22 & 23 Chile Festival.

Every year our congregation looks forward to sponsoring the Chile Fest. It is one of the significant ways Shepherd of the Valley reaches out and shows God’s love to our community. However, many of our volunteers are in the highest risk category of the population. In addition, we see no way of ensuring the safety of all our volunteers, community partners, crafters, entertainers, and the public with adherence to social distancing, personal protective equipment, repetitive cleaning of surfaces, and other recommended measures.

Having no Chile Fest in 2020 is another loss in this time when we grieve the loss of personal contacts and the changes made to our way of life. We are sad that we will not be interacting in person with each other and the community of vendors, musicians, and community partners at Chile Fest this year. We are seeking some creative “virtual” ways to support all those who have given so much to this event over the years. More information on this will be coming as plans are made.

We continue to nurture and maintain relationships with our partner organizations: SOTV Preschool, Wings for Life, and Heading Home. There will be a variety of ways to continue supporting them and the good work they do over the coming months. In anticipation that a new normalcy will be established, the good news is you can mark your calendar for August 28th and 29th for the 2021 Chile Festival.

We share the love of Christ,
Your 2020 Chile Fest Committee Chairs, Beth and John Sewell
Tom Hart and Sarah Chivington-Buck