Chamber cancels July festival

In the face of uncertainty during the COVID-19 restrictions, the chamber of commerce board of directors voted May20 to cancel any planning for the Festival of America over this year’s Independence Day holiday.

The annual event, which normally includes vendors and performers in the park below the visitor center at Grand Coulee Dam, draws thousands each year, most to watch the fireworks off the top of the iconic dam.

But all of that takes planning and a timeline that has run out. And the host federal agency, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, has not indicated when, or if, its visitor facilities will open.

The event is one that often loses money for the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce but is popular with many, including local motels, campgrounds and restaurants, and visitors who arrive every year and establish family areas as a base in the park for enjoying the event and the area.