Current events with the CoVID 19 virus have stunned all of us. Our plans for celebrations like school and college graduations, weddings, holidays, and, yes the Henniker Rotary Annual Fire on the Mountain Chili Fest, originally scheduled for August 16 have all been put on hold waiting for decisions on public gatherings.
The Rotary Board of Directors has been carefully considering what new norms would need to be in place regarding social distancing and food service restrictions for both servers and attendees. In addition to managing social distancing and large group gatherings, we have been particularly concerned about our ability to recruit restaurants to participate due to the impact the pandemic has had on them and the publics’ concerns about having open food service at the event.
Given these uncertainties, we have come to the sad and difficult decision that we should cancel Chili Fest.
The Henniker Rotary Club is strong and will come through these hard times because we are “People of Action” and continue our commitment to both fund raising and the use of those funds for the communities we serve. We are not going away. We have to change course and pivot to cope with these new norms but Rotary, and all of us, have been through hard times before.
The Henniker Rotary Club would like to say a special thank you to our long time partners and sponsors including: Pats Peak Ski Area, Granite Quill Publishers - The Messenger, 102.3 – The River, Ayer & Goss Fuels, Dunkin’ Donuts of Henniker, Davis & Towle Insurance Group, Edmunds ACE Hardware, Henniker Veterinary Hospital, New England College, Henniker Crushed Stone, Henniker Family Dentistry, Henniker Farm & Country Store, Henniker Pharmacy, Merrimack County Savings Bank and Morse Sporting Goods. Without this local business support, the Rotary Club “Fire on the Mountain Chili Fest would not have been the success it has been for the past 18 years.
And to all of you who attended the event over the years, thank you for helping the Rotary Club of Henniker make our service area of Henniker and Hillsborough such great communities of caring.
We hope you will share in our optimism and that you find it in your hearts and minds to see the bright future ahead. Please take time now to consider how you can continue your support for all that our Rotary Members do in the community. For instance, check out our new “Flags over Henniker and Hillsboro” initiative (see attached and our facebook link) and stay tuned for information about future Rotary activities. Better still, consider joining our club and being part of this important service organization. Contact George Mobley mblgcm@aol.com to learn more. With you as part of our team, we will celebrate the great spirit that binds our community together.