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Warren Homecoming canceled

Organizations making choices on other events scheduled for same September weekend

Staff file photo / R. Michael Semple Cynthia Crable of Warren, left, samples ice cream produced by Max Hoover of Warren, right, from Cockeye Creamery in Warren, while attending the annual Taste Of Warren event Sept. 21, 2019, in Courthouse Square.

Warren Homecoming joins the list of events that have been canceled for 2020.

The event, which was planned Sept. 18 to 20, started in 2016 to encourage one-time Warren area residents to return to their hometown.

There was a social / entertainment component — parties, car shows, concerts, a Taste of Warren food festival — but it also was designed to persuade those who had left and made their fortunes elsewhere to consider reinvesting in the place where they got their start.

James Shuttic, director of the Fine Arts Council of Trumbull County, said several factors led to the decision to cancel. While FACT oversees the entire weekend, individual groups and organizations put on their own events.

“With so many different events, we didn’t want to take on the responsibility of overseeing that and that everyone participating took whatever precautions needed to be taken (because of COVID-19),” Shuttic said.

Class reunions for students from Warren G. Harding and Warren Western Reserve high schools often coincided with Warren Homecoming, and at least two of those reunions are being postponed, he said.

Another factor was money.

“Several months before Homecoming, we start raising money,” Shuttic said. “We typically spend $5,000 to $10,000 to promote the event. We didn’t want to put the effort into raising money (only to cancel later). We decided it was best to announce early, especially with all of the other festivals that have canceled. It seemed like the wise thing to do.”

In a statement released Sunday, FACT said individual organizations still can go forward with their events planned that weekend, and the arts organization will promote them through their email lists and social media accounts.

Shuttic said he has talked with most of the participating groups. Some already had decided to cancel their events before FACT’s board voted last week. Others still hadn’t made a decision.

One of the biggest drawing events for Warren Homecoming has been Trumbull 100’s Taste of Warren. The Courthouse Square food festival features local restaurants and churches selling signature dishes and other treats.

Trumbull 100 Administrator Sue Shafer said the executive board is scheduled to meet in June and likely will make a decision about Taste of Warren at that meeting.

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