The 101st Reds Findlay Market Opening Day Parade, slated to be held Thursday, March 26, is being canceled or postponed according to event organizers.
The Findlay Market Opening Day Parade website says, "Our 101st Anniversary Parade has been cancelled/postponed due to the Corona Virus issue."
So whatever happens in the future in regards to it being rescheduled or permanently canceled, the parade is not happening on March 26.
At a press briefing earlier today, Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton announced that there has been a fourth case of COVID-19, this one a man in his 50s in Stark County, which contains Canton, Ohio. Dr. Acton said this fourth case is "proof of community spread" — the man hadn't traveled and had no known direct contact with anyone with COVID-19.
Gov. Mike DeWine promised a state order to cancel large events was coming. He also said an order to close K-12 schools could come in the future, but would not be issued just yet.
Mayor John Cranley also declared a state of emergency in Cincinnati earlier today.
The last time the parade did not happen on Opening Day was in 2018, when it was held four days after the Reds' home opener thanks to MLB scheduling changes that moved the season's start date up a week.
Neil Luken, the chairman of the parade committee, said the decision not to change the event's date that year was made in the best interest of Findlay's food vendors, whose business would take a major hit if the market was closed before the Easter holiday. (The market closes for parade festivities.)
Read live updates about everything Cincinnatians need to know about COVID-19, plus the latest news and cancellations at citybeat.com.
