Americade organizer Christian Dutcher announced today that the popular motorcycle rally that fills Lake George each June has been rescheduled for Tuesday, July 21 through Saturday, July 25, 2020. The 2020 rally will be different. Organizers are calling it a “touchless Americade” with careful attention given to social distancing practices.
The event usually takes place the first full week of June and is considered by many to be the launch of the Lake George summer season. “…but this year is a different year,” Dutcher says, and the rally’s organizers considered canceling the event as COVID-19 has shut-down the state, but they concluded it would be pre-mature to cancel at this time given that trends over the past week have been leaning towards the positive side.
“Many look to Americade as their psychological release of the year,” says Dutcher. This year, people need that release even more, and Dutcher believes their plans to modify the event to follow safety protocols will make Americade 2020 possible with this caveat, “If at any point we feel uncomfortable with the safety of the event, we won’t do it.”
Planned changes to Americade 2020 include:
- The number of people attending the Americade Expo will be restricted to ensure plenty of space between attendees;
- Some events that have historically attracted shoulder-to-shoulder crowds will not be held;
- Attendees will be encouraged to register electronically (instead of in person) and pay remotely; Americade 2020 will de-emphasize guided, large-group rides and instead facilitate unguided rides;
- For lunches during rides, participants will be encouraged to choose from a broad selection of restaurants to reduce crowding in any one establishment.
In past years, vendors have set up in the Beach Road parking lot, the West Brook parking lot and on the Festival Commons in Wood Park. Organizers are seeking an alternative to one of these venues to reduce the concentration of people in the Village.
Dutcher says that the latest he can “pull the plug” on the event would be mid-June. If at that time it appears the rally cannot be held safely, organizers will consider dates in September or October before completely canceling the event.
Americade 2020 will be used as a fundraiser for front-line workers and first responders, Dutcher says, and he hopes a ‘full-throttle” Americade will be possible again in 2021.