JENKINS, Ky. — The Jenkins Homecoming Days Festival in Letcher County is officially cancelled.

According to the festival’s Facebook page, organizers officially called off the event, typically held in late August, after discussions between the Jenkins Homecoming Days Festival Committee and the City of Jenkins, and also out of consideration of guidelines issued by Gov. Andy Beshear’s office and those enforceable by the Kentucky River District Health Department. The move comes amid the ongoing and growing COVID-19 pandemic, that has seen Letcher County experience 19 positive cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

“ … We feel it is in the best interest to our friends and family to not take any unnecessary chances,” the festival committee wrote. “The limits and precautionary measures that would need to be in place would not allow the number of people in the park to have a fun and successful festival.”

The committee said plans for the 2021 festival will begin with hopes of “one of our largest and best festivals to date.”