The Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce has announced that it is canceling the final two scheduled dates in its Friday Night Live music series due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Chamber made the announcement Tuesday afternoon on social media.
Friday Night Live features popular local bands performing for free on the Farmers and Merchants Bank Stage at Hickory Park.
Shows being canceled include The Nick Reed Band on Aug. 13 and a show on Aug. 27 that had yet to have a headlining act announced.
In its announcement posted on Facebook, the Chamber writes, “Please know that we did not make this decision lightly. With some of our crew members out with COVID and the hospital overcrowding that is taking place in our region, we are choosing to do what we believe is best for our community and our volunteers. To put on the absolute best events and do our local music justice, we have to have our volunteers, coordinators and sponsors healthy. We hope that this current spike is a temporary setback.”
Along with the rest of the Twin Lakes Area and southwest Missouri, Baxter County’s number of COVID cases has surged in recent months. The Arkansas Department of Health reports that as of Tuesday afternoon is monitoring 423 COVID cases in Baxter County, and number that ballooned over the past two months from 10 cases in early June.
Baxter Regional Medical Center announced Tuesday afternoon that it was treating 43 inpatients for COVID, a new one-day record for the number of COVID patients.
In its announcement on Facebook, the Chamber writes, “Our hospital is the cornerstone of our community, and by taking a moment now to pause, we hope to see better numbers on the board soon. We understand some will not be happy about this decision. It is regrettable for everyone involved to do so much work and not see everything come to fruition. Please understand that all things are temporary. When hospitalizations come down, we hope to come together once again to celebrate Baxter Regional Medical Center receiving Magnet recognition. Thank you for supporting Friday Night Live.”
The Friday Night Live series was presented by the Mountain Home Area Chamber of Commerce and the Mountain Home Advertising and Promotion Commission, in partnership with Huber Media Co.
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