2022 Fiddlestick Festival Canceled in Greenfield

File Photo of Fiddlestick Festival

GREENFIELD (March 8, 2022) — Tuesday night’s Greenfield City Board meeting, which centered on issues related to the Fiddlestick Festival, was full of surprises.

Conversation regarding the debated topic of relocating the site of the Fiddlestick Festival was continued from the board’s February 8, 2022, meeting. Following the meeting, local citizens learned the festival might be cancelled, if a suitable location could not be agreed upon.

This resulted in a loud outcry from the public that flooded Greenfield City officials and certain local business owners with angry phone calls and numerous Facebook posts in support of continuing the popular hometown celebration. This was due partly to the misconception that the board members and/or business owners were against having the festival.

The area in question is from the intersection of Highway 124 to the Mexican restaurant on South Front Street, which is the same spot the event was held last year.

The controversy stems from some of the business owners along South Front Street suggesting that some kind of compromise be reached to prevent blocking customer parking in front of their stores, during their busiest time of year. None of these business owners complained about having the Fiddlestick Festival. Instead, it was suggested the festival be moved to an alternate location.

Board members expressed their desire to keep the businesses on South Front Street open, while continuing to host the Fiddlestick Festival.

Several possible alternate locations were discussed, but all were ruled out for various reasons.

Due to all of the problems associated with finding a place to host the festival, Mayor Cindy McAdams offered to allow the event to be held along North Front Street from Hamburger Alley to Garland Street. The mayor stated the city owns all of the property in this area and everything had been worked out to make the location available for festival activities.

However, Alderman James Roy Pope, whose family-owned business, Pope’s Concessions, has provided free carnival rides and other family-oriented activities enjoyed by area youngsters for the past 27 years (with the financial support of local merchants and the City of Greenfield), announced his family has reluctantly decided not to host the Fiddlestick Festival this year.

Pope explained, because a decision on finding a suitable alternate location for the festival has been delayed for so long, there is simply not enough time to secure sufficient donations and book entertainment and activities for the event, which was originally scheduled for April 13-16. Alderman Pope stated the Fiddlestick Festival may be held in the future, but it is not possible to do so this year.

See the March 16, 2022, of the Dresden Enterprise for full details from the Greenfield City Board meeting Tuesday evening. The video stream of the meeting may also be found on the City of Greenfield’s Facebook page.