Ashland's Children's Halloween Celebration canceled

ASHLAND, Ore. – Halloween is right around the corner, but COVID-19 cases continue to be a concern for southern Oregon.

That’s why the Ashland Chamber’s 2021 Children’s Halloween Parade is canceled. Organizers say the event has been around for over 15 years.

The Ashland Chamber Board of Directors says it was a difficult decision to make. It says enforcing masking and social distancing would have been challenging because of the nature of the event.

“This is some people’s favorite event of the year, so we truly understand that it is a beloved event but we want everyone to stay safe so that we can be here next year to be able to hold the event,” said Katharine Cato with the Ashland Chamber.

The chamber says it encourages the community to still celebrate the holiday in a safe manner.

The Ashland Chamber of Commerce released the following statement about the decision on September 13:

In an abundance of caution and concern for the community’s public health and safety, with the current level of COVID cases and healthcare industries’ modeling of what things will look like throughout the fall, the Ashland Chamber Board of Directors made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Children’s Halloween parade.

Additionally, they are very concerned about hosting a large community event given the COVID impact on hospitals, number of unvaccinated people in Jackson county and the fact that children cannot currently be vaccinated.

With the inability to enforce masking and the challenge of maintaining social-distancing given the nature of this event, the Ashland Chamber Board and Staff felt this was the most responsible decision based on input from the City of Ashland, healthcare leaders and the members of the Board who are residents of the Rogue Valley.

The Ashland Chamber Board of Directors and Staff are saddened to not be able to bring this beloved event back this year for families and the community. The decision reflects their care for the community’s health and safety, hence their decision to have to forego it in 2021.