MARQUETTE — The Hiawatha Music Festival has been canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as has been the case with many other events.

The 42nd annual festival had been set for July 17-19 at Marquette Tourist Park.

The Hiawatha Board of Directors made the announcement on Monday in a letter in which the decision was called a “well-measured and heart-wrenching decision process.”

The letter read: “Our first priority had to be the safety of our members, attendees, volunteers, vendors and musicians. That said, we felt it our duty under the circumstances to ensure that all remained safe by not hosting our large gathering this summer.”

The board noted the city of Marquette has closed its park system indefinitely, which includes Tourist Park, making it difficult to go forward with planning without a concise date for when it will reopen.

“We also had to consider, even if the park does reopen, how many of the amazing volunteers that we count on to make (the) festival work, would be unable or unwilling to provide their valuable services this year,” it said.

The board also noted it analyzed and reviewed financial data, and knew it would face a moderate to severe financial loss since the festival represents two-thirds of its annual operating income, as well as seed money for next year’s festival.

“We know that when it’s deemed safe, we will gather again as a community,” the letter read. “It will be a time of music and celebration and a deeper appreciation for simply being together. Though we don’t know yet how or when that will come to be, know that we are holding you all in our hearts and will keep you informed along the way.”

Food delivery times changed

Marquette Area Public Schools has changed its food delivery times in response to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s latest stay-at-home order.

The new times are: 11 a.m. to noon at Marquette Senior High School in front of the canopy entrance, with visitors asked to pull up in their vehicles to the site; 10:30 to 11:20 a.m. in the employee parking lot of Graveraet Elementary School; 11:40 a.m. to noon in the Cherry Creek Elementary School employee parking lot; 10:40 to 11 a.m. in the parking lot in front of Superior Hills Elementary School; and 11:15 to 11:35 a.m. at Whetstone Village, in the parking lot across from the office.

The new times begin today. Future meal delivery dates will occur every Tuesday until June 9. For more information, visit mapsnet.org.

Hand sanitizer provided

The Marquette Board of Light and Power is partnering with the Iron Fish Distillery out of downstate Thompsonville to provide hand sanitizer to essential businesses and organizations.

The MBLP announced that when its executive director, Tom Carpenter, learned his friends and distillery owners, Richard and Sarah Anderson, were producing hand sanitizer at their facility, he called Richard Anderson to see if it would supply the MBLP with the much-needed disinfectant.

The Andersons, longtime residents of Marquette before moving to Thompsonville, were looking to help their Upper Peninsula friends.

“Given our family roots to the Marquette community, we are especially gratified to be able to coordinate delivery of hand sanitizer with the Marquette Board of Light and Power,” Richard Anderson said in a news release.

Carpenter said he began to take requests from all over the area.

“I knew that we needed it, and others would need it as well,” Carpenter said in a news release. “I just put out a few feelers, and almost immediately I started receiving emails from people whom I didn’t even contact, who had heard about it from their contacts.”

A truck already is on its way to Marquette this week, the MBLP said.

Imperial Beverage, the distributor for Iron Fish Distillery with U.P. operations located in Ishpeming, has offered to donate transportation for the shipment.

The distillery will continue to work with the MBLP throughout the COVID-19 crisis to distribute hand sanitizer to eligible organizations.

The sanitizer is made using the World Health Organization-recommended formula and meets U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements. The distillery also is providing all the hand sanitizer for the Traverse City-based Munson Healthcare.

Marquette-area nonprofits, government units and essential industries seeking hand sanitizer may email Iron Fish Distillery at info@ironfishdistillery.com for more information on purchasing the sanitizer, which is packaged in one-gallon containers at $60.23 per gallon. The distillery also is donating sanitizer that the MBLP will distribute to regional nonprofits serving low-income and vulnerable populations.

Aspirus closing some clinics

Aspirus, based in Wausau, Wisconsin, is temporarily closing some primary care clinics to support the need for additional staffing and resources at its hospitals in the event of a surge of COVID-19 patients.

The U.P. locations are in Bruce Crossing, Crystal Falls and Lake Linden.

City of Marquette closing boat launches

All Marquette city boat launches have been closed to adhere with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 2020-42. The launches will remain closed through April 30 and if there are no extended restrictions, the launches will reopen May 1, along with the Cinder Pond and Presque Isle marinas, city officials said.

Christie Mastric can be reached at cbleck@miningjournal.net.