BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER fter the Canton Board of Aldermen/women spent nearly three hours on Aug. 9 going back and forth with Haywood County Medical Director Dr. Mark Jaben over how — if at all — the town’s iconic Labor Day Festival could be held safely, a rare split vote with a tiebreaker cast by Mayor Zeb Smathers set the stage for ongoing debate. “It’s not going to get any better,” said Dr. Ralph Hamlett, who was joined by Mayor Pro Tem Gail Mull in voting against the musical performances. “As the evidence keeps coming and with the questions that Dr. Jaben answered, the forecast for [COVID} is that it’s not going to get better in the next two weeks. We’re still at a place where numbers keep spiking, and our health system is strained.” COVID-19, in conjunction with regular summertime accidents that cause hospital visits, has understaffed medical facilities near capacity. Hamlett also expressed concern about how outbreaks could affect the school year. “I’ve got to make a decision where I can look at myself in the mirror and know that decision was in the best interest of people in Haywood County,” Hamlett said. “I’m glad to see people get vaccinations, but we’re still only at 42 percent in Haywood County. That
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different. We play a role as a does not bode well. You can ask town in hosting it, but people people to social distance, you can coming also play a role in makask people to mask up, but there’s ing responsible choices for themnothing in place for enforcement. selves and their families and It has nothing to do with people’s that’s very important.” liberty. It has to do with safety.” Diamond Rio was also the Along with Alderman Tim headliner of last year’s festival, Shepard, Alderwoman Kristina which was cancelled. The town Smith voted to let the performwas still on the hook with ances continue. “My philosophy has been deposits of more than $80,000 to innovation over cancellation,” various performers, and if the Smith said. “I wanted to make event was cancelled this year, the sure we were looking at all town would lose the money, but opportunities to have the event. Smathers said that was a lesser My rationale is that the informaconsideration, because “the safetion that Dr. Jaben presented ty and ability of the staff to hold Sponsored by the Canton Lions Club, the Canton High School band the event is foremost.” was, as always, very thorough. marches in the 1957 Canton Labor Day parade. The Log photo Some of the stuff he said really Although they were on oppohit home for me, so the site sides of the issue, Smathers, in similar fashion, Smathers broke a tie approach we would take is multi-layered.” Hamlett and Smith all agreed that there when he opted to open the town’s pool. Smith said they’d encourage people to were no ill feelings and that the board would “It was absolutely a wonderful discussion continue to work together to ensure a safe, act responsibly at the events, but that the back and forth,” Smathers said, explaining implementation of safety protocols for the wholesome event as in years past. his “yes” vote. “I hate we could not come to a Sept. 5-7 festival is still a work in progress. “We are a team here in Canton,” Hamlett consensus, but then as now, town staff has “This is an ever-evolving thing. We’ll folsaid. “While we may disagree, we’re not disthe ability to balance safety and uphold the low any protocols the state implements, but agreeable.” tradition” of the 114th Labor Day Festival — that was not discussed (at the Aug. 9 meetThe board also voted 4-0 to hold the the oldest in the South. ing),” she said. annual parade. “Being outside helps,” Smathers said of With Shepard and Smith for, but Further discussion over the Labor Day the performances, which include headliners Hamlett and Mull opposed, Smathers was festival will take place at the town’s next regDiamond Rio, Doyle Lawson and Joe Lasher. ular meeting, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on forced to cast only the second tie-breaking vote in his four years as mayor. Last summer, “If this was an indoor situation, it would be Thursday, Aug. 12.
Smoky Mountain News
August 11-17, 2021
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As COVID rages, Canton Labor Day events debated
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