CHADRON – The 44th annual Fur Trade Days celebration in Chadron July 8-12 will look drastically different from previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the public health guidelines expected to be in place at the time of the event.
“After consulting with Gov. Pete Ricketts and health officials, the Fur Trade Days board has made the decision to alter the format of Fur Trade Days to focus on providing local residents a safe way to celebrate Fur Trade Days. It is likely that significant limits on crowd sizes will continue for several months and that social distancing will still be necessary during the month of July. Unfortunately, that means traditional Fur Trade Days events like the Traders Market, carnival, and street dances will not be possible this year,” said Fur Trade Days Board President Miles Bannan.
The Fur Trade Days board is currently brainstorming ideas on events that will allow residents to celebrate FTD in a non-traditional manner that fits within the public health restrictions. Details will be released as they are available.
While the board acknowledges that many events may have to be simply cancelled, they encourage local organizations to adapt their unique events to fit within public health guidelines. For more information or guidance, organizers of Fur Trade Days events are encouraged to contact the Fur Trade Days board by emailing [email protected] or by contacting Bannan directly via text or phone at (308) 430-4762.
Traders Market vendors who have already reserved spots in the 2020 Traders Market will be offered the option to roll their reservation to 2021. Vendors can contact Amber Parks at [email protected] for more information.
Next year’s Fur Trade Days is expected to return to the traditional schedule of events and is scheduled for July 9th – 12th, 2021.