One of the city’s more popular events, I’m So Greenwood, has been canceled for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The family-oriented festival, held each summer in Whittington Park since 2015, was scheduled for Saturday, May 23, but organizer Alfonso Gray of Chicago decided Tuesday it should not go on.
“It definitely is the safest thing to do. The reward of having it isn’t worth the risk,” he said.
“I have been paying close attention to the Mississippi numbers — current cases, particularly in Leflore County,” Gray said. He reported that he also conferred with Mayor Carolyn McAdams. They talked about how long shelter-at-home policies might continue, and afterward he decided not to wait to make a decision. Gray explained that he figures many people would choose not to attend because of the pandemic.
He said he is unhappy that the city won’t have the benefit this year from revenue created by the alcohol-free festival, which last summer drew 4,000 people to the park for socializing, food and entertainment. Many came from out of town.
“The purpose was to bring everybody who once lived in Greenwood back home, kind of the past meets the present,” he said.
Gray, 49, works for AAA. He grew up in Greenwood, went to Greenwood High School and after graduation, joined the U.S. Navy. His family in the Greenwood area includes his mother, Shirley Gray.
He said he visits several times a year, “and I am able to keep up, thanks to social media and reading the newspaper online.”
Some 2020 T-shirts have been printed, and a limited number are available, he said. “The T-shirts and the sponsorships make it free for all,” Gray said.
There are tentative plans for an online version of the sixth annual I’m So Greenwood, but Gray doesn’t know yet what that will be.
“We are planning something virtual, maybe just entertainment, maybe on that day,” he said.
Gray is already looking ahead to 2021. “We’ll try again next year,” he said. ‘
•Contact Susan Montgomery at 581-7241 or smontgomery@gwcommonwealth.com.
