CHARLOTTE, NC — November 20, 2020 — For the first time in the 43 year history of Fourth Ward Holiday Home Tours, the event has been canceled.
Friends of Fourth Ward board members and event organizers, in daily contact with county and state health officials, have closely monitored COVID-19 infection rate data and have canceled the signature event for serious health safety reasons.
“It breaks my heart,” says Miller Winecoff, a longtime Fourth Ward resident and current Friends of Fourth Ward president and Chair of the Tour Committee, “but it is definitely the right call. The health of our patrons, neighbors, sponsors, entertainers, and everyone else involved in the event is of paramount importance to the Friends of Fourth Ward.”
The tour event had already pivoted during the COVID-19 crisis. It eliminated the traditional in-home visits and transitioned to a festive, outdoor celebration with seasonal street entertainment, holiday decorations, lighting, and food and beverage samplings. The tour was aptly rebranded to Fourth Ward “Sip & Stroll.”
“We monitored all protocol requirements through the state’s various shutdown phases. The modified tour planning began in earnest during a downturn in infection rates. But that picture has changed drastically,” says Winecoff.
“Even with lowered attendance parameters, mandatory temperature checks, mandatory masking, sanitizing stations, physical distancing, and all other precautions recommended and approved by state and county authorities, we became very concerned about the current pandemic surge. And sadly the health authorities warn of a continued worsening in infection rates,” says Winecoff. “It is painful, but prudent, to cancel this beloved event for this year.”
The Friends of Fourth Ward (FOFW) and the Fourth Ward Foundation are non-profit 501(c)(3) community associations founded in 1976. They are volunteer-driven organizations whose missions are to provide cultural, social, and educational benefits to residents and local organizations while preserving the unique character of Uptown Charlotte’s Fourth Ward. The first public Fourth Ward Holiday Tour was launched in 1979.
FOFW raises money through the annual Holiday Home Tour, the spring Secret Gardens of Fourth Ward Tour, member dues and donations, business supporters, and through grants requested from other Foundations and nonprofits. These funds are then distributed to worthy local organizations whose missions align with those of FOFW. The 2020 grant recipients included Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, Charlotte Symphony, Historic Elmwood Pinewood Cemetery, Frontline Foods, Hope Haven, and Joedance Film Festival.
The Friends of Fourth Ward is in the process of advising sponsors and ticket purchasers of the cancellation and is working to streamline the refund process.
“What a terrible year for everyone,” continues Winecoff. “I know there’s hope with the new vaccines, but they just can’t come soon enough.”
Part of the cancellation communication to ticket holders and sponsors will include bright holiday wishes and a humble request to donate, if able and feeling the spirit, the refunds to the Friends of Fourth Ward. “I’m still believing in Santa,” says Winecoff. For more information and updates about Fourth Ward and its activities, please visit https://www.fofw.org