Howell, a conservative small town in Michigan, has been faced with a great deal of controversy following a decision made by its city leaders. Every year for the past 60 years, the town has played host to its annual Melon Festival. This family-friendly weekend event tied to the local crop has long been hailed as a highlight of Howell residents’ social calendars. However, like many events all over the world last year, the Melon Festival 2020 was cancelled. This year, however, it was cancelled before Drag Queen Bingo was added as a new attraction to the line-up.
This decision to cancel the festival was met with a lot of backlash from both business owners and residents of Howell. Keith Ridge, the owner of Howell’s Black Iron Coffee, has stepped in to save the Melon Festival. Mr. Ridge said that the festival is generally the biggest weekend for the town’s small businesses, many of which are still trying to recover from the devastating losses made last year.
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Leaders Against Public Alcohol Consumption
In another blow ahead of the Melon Festival, the city’s leaders made their conservative approach much more apparent by cancelling the beer tent and social area where festival goers would be allowed to walk around while carrying their alcohol. In a statement on the matter released to the public, Howell’s decision-makers said that the action was by no means clouded by any opinions, nor was it motivated by any politics. Instead, the decision was made out of abundance of caution amidst concerns for public safety.
The statement also added that the city’s leaders have learned from numerous examples of large events that involve a great deal of emotion, which coupled with alcohol, have led to a few events taking drastic turns very quickly.
Drag Queen Bingo To The Rescue
While the city’s leaders seem content with their plans to cancel the Melon Festival, residents in Howell are of the opinion that the leaders don’t really understand what it is exactly that residents are what. According to Carrie Carter, the city’s leaders are making a big deal out of nothing, really, and people just want to have fun.
Now, a compromise has been reached. Drag Queen Bingo, an event exclusively for those over the age of 21, will be held at the historical Howell Theatre. The event is already sold out, and the festival will be held next weekend, from 13 to 15 August.
