2020 Lakeside Festival Postponed: Board Of Directors

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — The 41st Annual Lakeside Festival scheduled for July 2 through July 5 at Lakeside Arts Park at the Dole in Crystal Lake.Crystal Lake has been postponed to a date in September or early October 2020, the Dole's Board of Directors announced in a Tuesday new release. The decision to postpone the four-day fest was reached after a review of guidelines issued by Gov. J.B. Pritzker for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, according to the news release. The Lakeside Festival planning committee receives regular updates and information from local and state authorities for future scenarios "to ensure the early and thorough addressing of all health and safety concerns regarding a large-scale public outdoor event," the news release stated.

“We are obviously very disappointed to announce the postponement of the 2020 Lakeside Festival," Lakeside Fest Co-Chair Ron Russell said, in the news release. "As much as we were looking forward to this fun family event, we must remain vigilant and focused on the safety and well-being of our community and take measures to reduce the spread of this pandemic. I look forward to a time we can come together as a community again and celebrate."

The annual Lakeside Festival is The Dole’s biggest fundraiser of the year, as all proceeds from the event help support the preservation of the 155-year-old historic Dole Mansion, according to the news release, in addition to supporting ongoing community events and programming that influence the way people experience the arts in McHenry County.

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“Given the fact that our event gathers nearly 50,000 patrons and we have hundreds of volunteers and production staff, it’s absolutely the right thing to do," Co-Executive Directors of The Dole, Nancy Merkling and Janet Kay, said in a joint statement, in the news release. "Postponing the event is the right thing to do in the interest of public health. We will continue to monitor the situation and hope for an opportunity to host a community-wide event in a few months. We appreciate the public’s patience and understanding.”

The Dole thanked the City of Crystal Lake and all their supporters, sponsors, donors, and volunteers, adding that their continued support is what makes the Lakeside Festival a huge success year after year.

Visit thedole.org and Lakeside Festival At The Dole for more information and updates.