WALKER -- It was announced last Friday that the 14th Annual Moondance Jammin Country Fest -- one of the most anticipated music events of the summer -- had been postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Originally scheduled to be held June 18-20 in Walker, the music festival is now planned for June 24-26, 2021.
The event’s postponement may come as a letdown to country music fans as the festival was expected to be even larger this year because of the cancellation of WE Fest 2020 in Detroit Lakes. The cancellation came last November after the festival underwent new ownership, and organizers announced plans to take a year off to regroup.
Yet with Moondance Jammin Country Fest originally set to take place in less than two months, organizers of the event said the decision was made in the best interest for all involved.
"It saddens me to have to make this decision, but at the same time I feel good knowing it is the right thing to do," Kathy Bieloh, Moondance Events owner, said in a press release. "There are just too many hurdles that we would have to clear and too many unknowns to deal with in such a short time.”
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However, Bieloh said that plans -- although tentative -- to host the rock festival, Moondance Jam 29, in mid-July of this year are still moving forward.
If the event -- scheduled for July 16-18 -- does take place, individuals can apply their already purchased Moondance Jammin Country Fest tickets and camping toward their attendance to the rock festival, the release said.
Nevertheless, Bieloh said that she and other organizers are “exploring some other options” for country fest fans.
These options include holding another festival for the weekend of Aug. 7-8, if conditions prove safe enough to do so. but it will be at least another month before the idea is officially entertained by organizers.
Another idea under review is the possibility of adding a bonus value for fans who purchased 2020 Moondance Jammin Country Fest tickets, which would be applied at the 2021 festival.
All ticket, camping and chair tag orders that were placed for the event will be valid at Moondance Jammin Country Fest in 2021, the release said.
With acts such as Old Dominion, Midland, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Lauren Alaina originally set to perform for the 2020 event, organizers are working to bring back the same lineup for 2021, but cannot guarantee that it will be the same.
However, organizers "will do everything (they) can to make the 2021 lineup as similar or better than what 2020 could have been," the release said.
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“I really appreciate patience from all of the country jammers out there as the landscape of this pandemic changes and we have to change with it,” Bieloh said. “Our whole Moondance family is in this together, and when we are finally able to get everyone back to Moondance, it is going to be extra special."
