Another Midcoast summertime favorite, First Congregational Church of Wiscasset’s Summerfest, is off this year. “It is with a heavy heart that the church council, taking into consideration the current circumstances, the guidelines in place, and the well-being of our congregation, volunteers and community, has voted to cancel Summerfest 2020,” Pastor Josh Fitterling wrote Wiscasset Newspaper in text responses Wednesday, June 3. 

“As this fundraising effort goes to support many local organizations that are doing very important work and are struggling during this time, we will still be striving to collect donations and help some of these organizations which have been hardest hit,” Fitterling added.

Church member Beth Maxwell is this year’s Summerfest chair. In a phone interview, she  noted the event joins St. Philip’s Church’s Strawberry Festival and other canceled area events that annually raise funds and gather the community.

Maxwell said she is “very hopeful” First Congregational will raise funds in other ways for the causes Summerfest benefits, including supporting people affected by domestic violence. “The (event’s) whole point is to fundraise for people in need, and people are in even more need right now, with the virus.”

Maxwell notes the council’s decision in the church’s June newsletter, emailed June 3 and available at uccwiscasset.org: “What is summer without Summerfest? We’ll find out this year as (the) Council has voted to cancel Summerfest in its usual form. We do hope to raise funds for our outreach in different ways ... Any creative ideas are welcome as we go forward with this ... Let me know if you think of ways we can fundraise in our current circumstances: emaxwell@myfairpoint.net or 882-6180.”