Multiple community events postponed due to virus fears
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The Inter-Mountain photo by Kristi Groves
The toilet paper aisle at the Elkins Walmart looks desolate Thursday as shoppers seek to stock up in the face of coronavirus fears. Kroger in Elkins limited shoppers to three packages of toilet paper each, while Walgreens in Elkins limited some cleaning and health items to four per customer.
ELKINS -- Multiple community events were either postponed or canceled Thursday as local leaders deal with the threat of coronavirus.
Events such as the Elkins Rotary Fun Night, Tygart Valley Wrestling's Marching into Madness match and the Knights of Columbus 603 Fish Fry have been postponed to avoid large community gatherings which could potentially spread the COVID-19 virus.
The Fish Fry for the Knights of Columbus 603 will be rescheduled to March 20 and 27, and April 3 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the St. Brendan Catholic Church in Elkins.
The Elkins Rotary Club has not yet chosen a new date for the annual Fun Night, which was postponed on Thursday afternoon.
"Given what's happening nationwide right now, the club just felt it would be wisest to take precautionary measures and postpone the event, just to be on the safe side," said Chris Lee, Rotarian and executive director for the Phil Gainer Community Center.
"I do know that we are looking at rescheduling. Right now we're throwing some dates around," he said. "With an event like this, there's a lot of moving parts and we've already started event planning for when we reschedule."
"That said, Rotary Fun Night's a vital aspect of what we do at Rotary. It's our primary fundraiser and it allows us to finance scholarships for local schools and libraries so we're definitely looking forward to a great Fun Night but, unfortunately, we are going to reschedule," said Lee.
Tygart Valley Wrestling Federation announced Thursday that the March 20 Marching into Madness event has been postponed. Sponsored by the Mr. Nice Guys Foundation, the pro-wresting event was slated to help raise money for the family of Penelope Hebb to help in her ongoing battle against cancer.
"On behalf of the TVWF, we want to take every precaution to make sure our community is safe," TVWF owner Ben Simmons said. "Our organization consists of wrestlers and fans who travel from many surrounding states -- Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina and others. We feel it is in the best interest of everyone involved to postpone the event until April. No exact date has been scheduled. All existing ticket sales and advertisements will be honored."
Details about the rescheduled TVWF event will be shared on the group's Facebook page.
The Randolph County Community Arts Center has also canceled the upcoming Aurora Celtic concert that was scheduled for Saturday. Anyone who purchased advance tickets can contact the Arts Center office for a full refund.