North Myrtle Beach Times Serving our Community and the Grand Strand for over 50 years
By Annie Rigby
After months of meetings to discuss and plan for the 41st Loris Bog-Off Festival the Loris Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors prepared and submitted their proposed plan to the South Carolina Department of Commerce (SCDC). Any event anticipating 250 or more people “must be able to comply with social distancing guidelines and best practices;” and requires the approval from the SCDC.
The plan included following the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) and U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines to host this year’s festival.
Generally the SCDC responds within five to seven days, however within hours of submitting their application and proposed plan the chamber board received an email stating, “Each application is evaluated individually. Following a careful review of your application, the relevant Executive Order from the Governor, guidance from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control and applicable law, your event request has been GRANTED.” The email continued, (the festival) “must be able to comply with social distancing guidelines and best practices.”
This news was a relief to the board as they were unsure the 41st Loris Bog-Off Festival would be held this year due to the pandemic.
The chamber proudly announced that the festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Although the event will be smaller than in previous years, where thousands of people attended the Bog-Off, the chamber will follow the guidelines to permit for social distancing.
They also announced that this year’s festival will include several entrance and exit points with gating/fencing surrounding the area where the festival will be held. Social distancing and wearing face masks will be enforced. The chamber stated due to the fact that the festival area will be smaller fewer vendors will set up.
This will be the first year the chamber charges to attend the festival; tickets will be sold online. The ticket sales will allow the chamber to account for the number of people anticipated to attend the Bog-Off. A price has not been set at this time and will be announced soon; these are the little things that will be worked out prior to the festival.
Vendor applications and the Bog-Off cooking applications are being accepted with the deadline set for all applications to be turned into the chamber by 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1.
More information will be provided as soon as the chamber board of directors makes the final plans to open the 2020 Loris Bog-Off Festival.
For more information please contact Chamber Executive Director Samantha Norris at 843-756-6030 or email at loriscoc@sccoast.net. Check their Facebook page for important announcements and details about the 41st Loris Bog-Off Festival.
