HOULTON, Maine — There will be no madness at midnight in downtown Houlton this year.
The Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce announced Friday that its board of directors has decided to cancel the popular downtown event originally scheduled for Wednesday, July 1.
Executive Director Jane Torres said the decision was not an easy one, but was made in the best interests of the community as a whole, given the COVID-19 pandemic that is gripping much of the state and nation.
Midnight Madness is a street fair festival held in Market Square during the Fourth of July and typically draws more than 1,000 people to downtown Houlton for food, fun and fireworks. Multiple vendors traditionally set up booths to sell goods or to do fundraisers for high school students.
Torres said the Chamber’s “Strawberry Shortcake” sale, which is typically held on the same day as Midnight Madness, will go on as planned.
The LP Miracle Mile Road Race, held in conjunction with Midnight Madness, has also been canceled. This race has been held since 2012 and serves as a fundraiser for children’s cancer research. Last year, 200 runners and walkers participated.
The race was created in honor of Makenna Ward, the daughter of Kirk and Amy Ward of Houlton, who was just 6 years old when she died Dec. 29, 2013, after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Since its inception, the event has raised more than $25,000.
According to a post on the CompetitorME website, this road race, along with numerous others planned throughout the summer, has switched to a “virtual race” with participants asked to still sign up, but then do their own one-mile run in a location of their choosing.
“On behalf of CompetitorME, the Ward family, and our sponsors, we appreciate the support of our running and endurance event communities,” Jonanthan Kelley, creator of CompetitorME, said. “These are undoubtedly trying times for us all. We look forward to seeing you all as soon as we can.”
A decision on whether the town will be able to hold its Fourth of July parade will not be made until sometime in June, Torres added. She added the Chamber is working with the Houlton Fair Committee to sponsor a fireworks display. Details of where that display will be held are still being discussed.
