RV Supershows

Cancelled. Billed as America’s largest RV show, the RV Supershow in Hershey, Pennsylvania will not be running this fall.

After careful consultation with the industry, the Pennsylvania Recreation Vehicle and Camping Association (PRVCA) cancelled the 2020 Hershey America’s Largest RV Show, scheduled for September 16-20 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

As COVID-19 outbreaks continue to be of concern, PRVCA worked to find ways to hold a show while protecting the health and safety of all attendees, exhibitors, speakers and staff. Unfortunately, the hurdles were too great to overcome based on the information we have right now. Mark your calendar for the 2021 Hershey America’s Largest RV Show, September 15-19, 2021.

The Florida RV Supershow, currently scheduled for January 13-17th, 2021, has yet to be cancelled. And perhaps it will go ahead. Really, at this point in time, it is anyone’s guess as to what will happen with large gatherings in 2021. The logistics around social distancing would be very challenging to implement in these RV Supershows. I wonder how many people would be prepared to attend if the Tampa show did go ahead?

People did flock to Walt Disney World when it reopened this past week-end. Even in the midst of a dramatic surge in COVID-19 cases in Florida.

Park attendance was likely capped at 30 percent of capacity although no specific numbers were released by Disney. At least not any that I could find. The folks at Disney posted a fairly stern warning about what to expect at the parks including this helpful reminder:

An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, senior citizens and guests with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable. By visiting Walt Disney World Resort, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19. Help keep each other healthy.

Virtually all of the Newmar Kountry Klub rallies have been cancelled over the next three months.

I expect the border with the United States will continue to remain closed to non-essential land crossings for quite some time. From the Globe this morning:

The Canada-U.S. border will remain temporarily closed to non-essential travel until at least Aug. 21 amid Canadians’ concerns about surging COVID-19 cases in the United States, according to sources.

Despite mounting pressure from some U.S. politicians in northern states and border communities to reopen the border, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made clear Monday that he has serious concerns about a major spike in coronavirus infections in most of the American states.

“We recognize that the situation continues to be complex in the United States with regard to COVID-19. Every month we have been able to extend the border closures to all but essential goods services, and those discussions are ongoing with the United States right now as we are a week from the next deadline for closure,” he told reporters. “We are going to continue to keep Canadians safe and to keep our economy flowing.”

Remember this from Canada’s Health Minister when COVID-19 first started?

The risk is very low. Border closures don’t work. Masks are ineffective. So many missteps. I could go on but the important observation is that our government did not know how to keep the COVID-19 virus contained. They did not know how to keep Canadians safe and they did not keep the economy flowing through this global pandemic. As Garth writes on his blog:

By now you know the news. Red ink and guts everywhere in Ottawa. Harper’s $56 billion credit crisis deficit was just a warm up for Trudeau’s $343 billion pandemic hole. The last time the feds spent like this we were in World War 2. We’ve just seen the first credit downgrade in 25 years. And no other country in the world is facing a reversal of fiscal fortunes like ours – a 1,000% deficit increase over the forecast of a few months ago.

A third of the workforce has been idled. The jobless rate will (as this blog told you) still be 10% at Christmas and close to that level in 2021. Revenues have cratered by over $100 billion. The economy in 2020 will shrink almost 7%. In the Great Depression the decline was 10%.

Perhaps our government is better informed now. We’ll find out. But the cost. My goodness. The cost.