The Horsethief Days Festival in Knox has been canceled due to state restrictions on large, outdoor gatherings and limited PennDOT special-event permit availability.
Knox Borough Council President and Horsethief Days committee member Jack Bish Jr. confirmed the announcement to the Clarion News on Thursday.
The festival was slated to take place Aug. 15-22. He said the Aug. 22 fireworks show will go on as scheduled.
PennDOT requires all street-closing permit applications to be submitted at least three weeks before the planned event.
Horsethief Days planners earlier this month told the Clarion News that they had heard PennDOT was not issuing street closure permits for events drawing more than 250 people.
The Clarion News, in an inquiry about street-closure permits in general, was told by PennDOT spokesperson Alexis Campbell in an email that “special-event permit applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. PennDOT works with event sponsors to ensure that the event is both safe from a traffic control standpoint and to ensure compliance with the governor’s and secretary of health’s orders regarding phased reopening.”
That statement, however, was made before Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday tightened COVID-19 restrictions.