BUCYRUS—Just two days after the Bratwurst Festival board announced the cancellation of the annual festival, this year’s Cruisin’ with the Cops Classic Car Show and Cruise 2020 has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event had been scheduled to be held this fall on Sept. 5.
Lieutenant Tom Walker of the Bucyrus Police Department, and president of the local FOP, said that the car show brings approximately 600 cars to town each year.
“At least 2,000 people attend the car show every year and with the cars cruising up and down the streets, people are walking on the sidewalks. It would be impossible for us to maintain social distancing and as infectious as COVID-19 is, we just couldn’t take the chance of someone getting sick,” Walker said.
He said that local businesses often sponsor the car show but those businesses have been affected by the pandemic financially.
“We just did not think that it’s a good time to ask local business owners to donate even though many still would because we have a great community,” said Walker.
He said the money collected for the car show, including vehicle entry fees, funds grants and local programs, such as Christmas presents for children and Little League.
“We will still be able to donate but will be very frugal with expenses,” said Walker.
He said the FOP has already received some checks for the annual event.
“We have not cashed those and will not. If anyone wants their check mailed back to them, they need to contact us and we will do that,” said Walker.
On the upside, the FOP has already scheduled next year’s car show for June 12, 2021.
“God willing, there will be a car show next year,” said Walker. “We agonized over the decision to cancel this year’s event but thought it was better to err on the side of caution.”