WILLIAMSON, Wv. (MTN) — The 48th Annual King Coal Festival in Williamson, WV has been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns.
King Coal Festival President Jada C. Hunter said in a statement released Wednesday, July 15, “As you know, Governor Jim Justice has cancelled all Fairs and Festivals. So, after 47 years of providing this Annual Heritage event for the residents of Mingo, Pike, and other surrounding Counties and States, we are definitely complying by canceling our 48th Annual King Coal Festival, and pray that everyone will remain healthy, in order for us to have it next year during our usual third weekend in September.”
On June 4, 2020, West Virginia Governor Jim Justice gave the green light to resume fairs and festivals in the state, provided that all guidelines are followed to help keep West Virginians as safe as possible.
As the number of positive COVID-19 cases continued to rise in the state, Governor Justice issued an executive order on July 13 to reduce the statewide social gathering limit from 100 to 25 individuals. The executive order also included the closure of all fairs, festivals, and similar events, and prohibits both indoor and outdoor concerts statewide.
“It’s no fun to close things,” Gov. Justice said. “But we’ve got to do the things that are going to be the prudent things for all West Virginians, so we can still do many of the things that we love to do.”
