HOISINGTON — How will Labor Day weekend be celebrated in Hoisington this year? That was the question on many people’s minds Monday night when the city council met to discuss that and other matters. In addition to the council members and city staff, representatives from the Hoisington Chamber of Commerce and a resident in support of the demolition derby were among others present. 

Prior to that discussion, a 10-minute executive session was called by council president Jim Morris to discuss the city’s specific liability risks for COVID-19 claims pursuant to the attorney-client privilege exception. 

When the council returned to open session, Cassidy Smith of Alliance Insurance made a brief presentation, awarding the city with a $20,372.77 EMC Insurance rebate. 

This is the 10th year in a row the city has received the rebate, which is awarded as an incentive for keeping the workplace safe, and keeping workers’ compensation claims down. Over the past five years, the city has received over $100,000. Mayor Dalton Popp accepted the rebate check, and thanked Smith for his visit. 

Then, discussion turned to Labor Day. 

Mitchell noted that, as of Monday night, so far the city has managed to avoid having any positive cases of COVID-19. Much has been done to take into consideration Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, and he questioned how wise it was to proceed with the event. 

In his monthly letter to the governing body, Mitchell wrote, “At some point the governing body will need to provide direction to the community on what Labor Day may look like. Communities all over the state, and within our county, have taken an array of approaches to community events.”

He listed recent decisions by the Barton County Fair Board as well as the City of Great Bend and City of Ellinwood concerning the county fair, After Harvest Festival and Party in the Park. Some have been scaled back, while others are proceeding without restrictions. 

“It is a difficult line to walk,” he said. “It is critical that the City take steps to keep our residents safe but there is a strong desire to return to life as it was before COVID-19.”

He asked the council to carefully consider whether or not the city should continue to partner with the Hoisington Chamber of Commerce this year on the annual Labor Day festivities, some of which attract thousands of people from outside the immediate area, and allow them to occur on city-owned property. He noted among the highest risk activities where it would be the most difficult to stay within CDC guidelines concerning mass gatherings are the Labor Day parade, Kid Stop, the street dance and the demolition derby. 

Then, Mitchell recognized Hoisington Chamber Executive Director Karen Baldyga who made the case for honoring the celebration’s 124-year history which doubles as the Chamber’s biggest annual fundraiser. 

“I reached out to all of our businesses and they have all told me how important this is to not only them, in a normal year, but especially this year,” she said. “It certainly would help them to kind of put some of the past few months behind them and move forward into the last part of this year in a better way.”

The Chamber board planned to meet Tuesday to firm up plans for the weekend-long event, and she wanted to go into the meeting with a clear idea of what direction they needed to go in, she said. Some events, like the parade and the demolition derby, require many hours of planning and work to pull off. They are also the most costly, with about $6,000 set aside for advertising outside the community, as well as up-front costs for bringing the derby in. 

“Any guidance you can give us in our discussions tomorrow will be helpful,” she said. 

Baldyga shared a master list of county fairs in Kansas scheduled for this summer. A few have been cancelled, while some are tentative, but the vast majority are going to be held with few or no restrictions, she said. But, she is also heeding warnings that attendance at all events is expected to be only half of what it normally would be in light of COVID-19 concerns. 

The Kansas State Fair is still planning to move ahead as planned at this time, but July 15 is the drop-dead deadline. 

“If the governor comes back and says, ‘you can’t have this,’ then they’re going to stop everything, and they’re going to reevaluate,” Baldyga said. 

The Hoisington Chamber, on the other hand, has a smaller budget, and is less able to pivot, and more vulnerable to lawsuits. 

Council member Chris Smith expressed concern that cases in the county and across the state continue to increase. 

“My biggest concern is, we get so many out of town people,” she said. She added social distancing won’t be possible at some events, and questioned how the city could provide adequate locations for washing hands and sanitation.”

Other board members, including Darren Reinert, Richard Rubio, Gary Shook, Jim Morris and Becky Steiner said the event is too important to Hoisington to scrap, and insisted it should be an attend-at-your-own-risk event. The city and Chamber can provide hand sanitizing stations, and provide signage suggesting safe social distancing, and some modification to events that make sense should be considered, however. 

Discussion focused mainly on the feasibility of having a parade and hosting the derby. An alternative “cruise” parade was touched upon, where participants would stay in their cars, rather than line the streets. 

Police Chief Kenton Doze said extra security for a traditional parade may not be possible this year, and manpower may be tight. Already, he has been in contact with the Barton County Sheriff’s Office. Officers may not be willing to work extra hours to cover the event, so they need to know as soon as possible what will be asked of them. 

A Hoisington resident suggested the city and Chamber plan to hold the derby now, so people who want to participate can get prepared in time. He said if it would be better to plan for it now and have it be cancelled later, then to add it at the last minute later. This was met with support from the council.   

While no specifics were agreed upon at the meeting, Baldyga and Chamber Board Treasurer Kara Cotten assured the council they would provide regular updates throughout the planning and decision making process.