Bel Air Mayor Thanks Alliance For Canceling MD State BBQ Bash

BEL AIR, MD — The Maryland State BBQ Bash will not take place in 2020, the Bel Air Downtown Alliance announced recently, changing course from a previous decision to postpone the annual event until October.

During Monday night's virtual town meeting of the Bel Air Board of Town Commissioners, the mayor praised the decision to call off the bash.

"Although we are certain that we are all disappointed," Bel Air Mayor Amy Chmielewski said, "we would like to thank the alliance for taking their time to make the best decision for our community."

Typically, the two-day event takes place in August. The celebration of all things barbecue draws around 30,000 attendees, organizers say.

"Having an event of this size, we have to consider the health and safety of our participants, vendors and volunteers," Bel Air Downtown Alliance Board President Kim Austin said, announcing the cancellation. "With that in mind, we have no choice but to cancel the bash this year."

The governor has previously issued orders restricting gatherings since the coronavirus is primarily spread person to person through respiratory droplets. While his latest order does not specify a maximum number of people, it says that "to protect and save lives, it is necessary and reasonable that individuals in the state refrain from congregating."

Currently there are 2,183 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Harford County, where state health officials report 66 people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, as of Monday. Statewide, there are 101,235 cases of the virus, data shows.

The Maryland State BBQ Bash typically draws people from around the region seeking to qualify to compete in the Jack Daniel’s 32nd annual World Championship Invitational Barbeque. That event has also been called off.

"We look forward to the next BBQ bash — bigger and better than ever," Chmielewski said.

Despite the cancellation, the mayor said other annual events were still happening, such as the recent Bel Air Town Run.

"It's nice to see that there are some activities going on, even small," Chmielewski said. "But we are taking the proper precautions."

At the Aug. 9 event, there were modifications, such as no pre- or post-race activities or gatherings, including an awards ceremony, to prevent people from congregating.

Bel Air Town Commissioner Erin Hughes was a course marshal at the town run. She said there were about 275 people who completed the race.

Among them was Harford County Executive Barry Glassman.

"Given everything, all the challenges, to get that to come to fruition, that was a lot of work but I think it was definitely appreciated," Hughes said during the commissioners' Aug. 11 work session. This was the 40th annual Bel Air Town Run, which is sponsored by the Harford County Running Club.

Usually it is held in June, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus.

At the town hall meeting Monday, the mayor thanked the Bel Air Police Department and volunteers for ensuring the town run was a successful event.

To look for events or to post your own, see the Bel Air Patch calendar.

See Also:

• Maryland State BBQ Bash Postponed In Bel Air Amid Coronavirus
• MD Adds Travel Advisory, Masking Order To Curb Coronavirus Spread
• Bel Air Fourth Of July Fireworks Canceled