Willkommen!
CANCELED |
As seen in The Boerne Star.
BERGES FEST CANCELED
Current Miss Berges Fest Kylie Fleming-Seiter and her court will have a longer but undoubtedly less eventful reign after festival officials announced today that the 2020 event has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clint McCoy, 2020 Berges Fest president, told The Boerne Star earlier this week that the official announcement is being made Friday, April 17.
“We were hoping we wouldn’t have to do this and that all the COVID-19 mandates would be over in time,” McCoy said. “We felt it was in the best interests of everyone involved to not have the festival this year.”
McCoy said he believes this is the first time in the 54-year history of the event that it has been canceled.
Berges Fest has been a Boerne tradition since 1967 and is a celebration of the community’s German heritage. Its mission is to bring the community together through an old-fashioned social event while trying to raise money to help support local organizations.
The name translates to “Festival of the Hills.”
Last year, attendance was estimated between 10,000 and 15,000.
Highlights of the festival include the annual Miss Berges Fest pageant on Friday night, the downtown parade on Saturday and the festival itself on Saturday and Sunday.
McCoy said the executive board made the decision now to cancel the traditional Father’s Day weekend event as a precaution.
“We certainly wouldn’t want someone who is sick to attend and pass the disease to others,” he said. “We know time is needed to get things back to normal. We wanted to do the responsible thing.”
Also, McCoy said the festival relies on donations from businesses and individuals, and with COVID-19 shutting down or limiting all but essential businesses and organizations, it doesn’t make sense to ask for financial support.
“We also have the issue that we need to raise money to have the event,” he said. “With so many people struggling right now, it wouldn’t be right to ask them for support.
“That was a big part of making the decision to cancel.”
Berges Fest Historian & Advertising Director, April Lally told The Star she is disappointed the festival will not take place, but she knows it was the correct decision.
“I’m deeply saddened it’s canceled,” she said. “This always has been something the community looks forward to. And this year, with everything going on, I think we really need it. But, not having it this year is the right thing to do under the circumstances.”
Lally said she feels sorry for the girls and boys who participate in the annual pageant as they won’t get to compete this year. She said she also is disappointed Fleming-Seiter and her court – Princess Lacey Harris, Duchess Mashay Rakowitz, Junior Miss Addie Martin, Little Miss Ana-bella Epple and Little Mister Jackson Laudadio – will not get the opportunity to represent Boerne and the festival during the spring and summer at other parades and functions because of cancellations.
Lally said at the end of the summer, Fleming-Seiter and the others will relinquish their titles and there will be no official court after that until next June when the 2021 Miss Berges Fest and her court are crowned.
“This is certainly a Boerne summertime tradition we won’t have this year,” she said. “We won’t have the opportunity to bring everyone together to celebrate our German culture and history.”
McCoy said the executive board discussed postponing the festival instead of canceling it, but decided with other events planned for the fall – such as the annual Kendall County Fair & Rodeo and high school homecomings – it wouldn’t be proper to have it then. “We didn’t want to interfere with other events,” he said. “We didn’t want to step on any toes.” At the end of the day, McCoy said the decision was made in the best interests of the festival and the community.
“We wanted to be safe and do what was responsible,” he said. “We wanted to do what was best for our community as well as all our supporters. It wasn’t easy, but it was the correct thing to do.”
BERGES FEST CANCELED
Current Miss Berges Fest Kylie Fleming-Seiter and her court will have a longer but undoubtedly less eventful reign after festival officials announced today that the 2020 event has been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Clint McCoy, 2020 Berges Fest president, told The Boerne Star earlier this week that the official announcement is being made Friday, April 17.
“We were hoping we wouldn’t have to do this and that all the COVID-19 mandates would be over in time,” McCoy said. “We felt it was in the best interests of everyone involved to not have the festival this year.”
McCoy said he believes this is the first time in the 54-year history of the event that it has been canceled.
Berges Fest has been a Boerne tradition since 1967 and is a celebration of the community’s German heritage. Its mission is to bring the community together through an old-fashioned social event while trying to raise money to help support local organizations.
The name translates to “Festival of the Hills.”
Last year, attendance was estimated between 10,000 and 15,000.
Highlights of the festival include the annual Miss Berges Fest pageant on Friday night, the downtown parade on Saturday and the festival itself on Saturday and Sunday.
McCoy said the executive board made the decision now to cancel the traditional Father’s Day weekend event as a precaution.
“We certainly wouldn’t want someone who is sick to attend and pass the disease to others,” he said. “We know time is needed to get things back to normal. We wanted to do the responsible thing.”
Also, McCoy said the festival relies on donations from businesses and individuals, and with COVID-19 shutting down or limiting all but essential businesses and organizations, it doesn’t make sense to ask for financial support.
“We also have the issue that we need to raise money to have the event,” he said. “With so many people struggling right now, it wouldn’t be right to ask them for support.
“That was a big part of making the decision to cancel.”
Berges Fest Historian & Advertising Director, April Lally told The Star she is disappointed the festival will not take place, but she knows it was the correct decision.
“I’m deeply saddened it’s canceled,” she said. “This always has been something the community looks forward to. And this year, with everything going on, I think we really need it. But, not having it this year is the right thing to do under the circumstances.”
Lally said she feels sorry for the girls and boys who participate in the annual pageant as they won’t get to compete this year. She said she also is disappointed Fleming-Seiter and her court – Princess Lacey Harris, Duchess Mashay Rakowitz, Junior Miss Addie Martin, Little Miss Ana-bella Epple and Little Mister Jackson Laudadio – will not get the opportunity to represent Boerne and the festival during the spring and summer at other parades and functions because of cancellations.
Lally said at the end of the summer, Fleming-Seiter and the others will relinquish their titles and there will be no official court after that until next June when the 2021 Miss Berges Fest and her court are crowned.
“This is certainly a Boerne summertime tradition we won’t have this year,” she said. “We won’t have the opportunity to bring everyone together to celebrate our German culture and history.”
McCoy said the executive board discussed postponing the festival instead of canceling it, but decided with other events planned for the fall – such as the annual Kendall County Fair & Rodeo and high school homecomings – it wouldn’t be proper to have it then. “We didn’t want to interfere with other events,” he said. “We didn’t want to step on any toes.” At the end of the day, McCoy said the decision was made in the best interests of the festival and the community.
“We wanted to be safe and do what was responsible,” he said. “We wanted to do what was best for our community as well as all our supporters. It wasn’t easy, but it was the correct thing to do.”
It doesn't have to be October for people to gather and celebrate German culture in America. The Boerne Berges Fest proves that in JUNE! The 3-day, family-friendly festival centers around the German heritage of the Boerne area and commandeers Boerne's Main Street on Father's Day weekend for an old fashioned community parade and then continues with the "Festival in the Hills" at Herff Park/Kendall County Fairgrounds. The Boerne Berges Fest is one of the City of Boerne's biggest festivals.
What's more, general admission for the Boerne Berges Fest is FREE and everyone is invited to attend. Make plans now to bring friends and family for an unforgettable weekend of fun in the beautiful Texas Hill Country at the Boerne Berges Fest!
AT THE KENDALL COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
$5 PARKING / FREE ADMISSION
2019 Berges Fest Platinum Sponsors
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