The wildfire smoke blanketing much of the state has prompted the cancellation of the Sisters Folk Festival in central Oregon. This is the first time the 22-year old event has been cancelled.
Sisters residents have been living with unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke for weeks. The Milli fire is the closest of dozens burning in the region and it was sparked August 9th.
Brad Tisdel is Creative Director of the Sisters Folk Festival. He says they tried to come up with a contingency plan so the mostly outdoor event could go forward.
“On the day that we were actually making the decision the schools were closed because of air quality. So, at that juncture, we didn’t have any indoor venues either and we had to make that call. It’s unfortunate. But we’ll persevere and we believe we’ll come back even stronger next year.”
Tisdel says for the health and well-being of performers, staff and attendees, it was the right decision. According to an economic impact analysis done several years ago, the Sisters Folk Festival annually pumps more than $1.2 million into the local economy. More than 40 musical acts were scheduled to perform at the 3-day event this weekend.
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