SBA cancels Fabulous ‘50s Fling; spring garage sales on hiatus

For years the Sugarcreek business area has thrived on the excitement and financial windfall generated by the annual Fabulous ‘50s Fling car show.

However, as events continue to fall to the wayside due to COVID-19 restrictions, the well-known summer attraction also has been set aside due to the social distancing mandate.

The popular Sugarcreek Fabulous ‘50s Fling that draws thousands of antique and collectible car aficionados to the area has become a casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was not an easy decision for the Sugarcreek Business Association to make, even though they all felt it was the right thing to do.

Sugarcreek Business Association President Tom Hostetler recently released an update of the group’s current state of affairs, among them the cancellation of the car show slated for June 12-13.

Bev Keller, SBA executive vice president, said of the decision to cancel the Fabulous ‘50s Fling, “It came down to the committee itself having to make a tough decision, but it was one that was necessary.”

In addition to the Fabulous ‘50s Fling, several other key components of the SBA have been put aside. The annual community garage sales have been postponed; however, Hostetler said depending on how things open up, it might be possible to host them later this summer.

“Even those garage sales are a huge deal for us because they bring a lot of people to town, and it is something that a lot of people put on their calendars every year,” Keller said.

In addition the Dominic Greco Band concert set for July has been cancelled by the band.

Hostetler said the SBA executive committee, consisting of the president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and executive vice president, will meet to choose the winner of the SBA scholarship from Garaway High School because Garaway will still award scholarships in May.

Ultimately, having the car show go to the wayside will be a difficult pill for the SBA to swallow, as well as the many area businesses that rely on the income generated from such a large event.

“Financially it is going to make a big impact,” Keller said. “I know people who come here from West Virginia, from Massachusetts and other states who are coming specifically for the Fabulous ‘50s Fling, and they are staying here for a weekend for the show and the garage sales. Not only are locals not able to sell the stuff from their attic or garage, but our hotels, lodging facilities, restaurants and other businesses suffer because they aren’t able to make those dollars. It is a very difficult situation.”

Keller said should things reverse and turn the corner to the point the coronavirus threat is lifted, they will reinstate the garage sales for later this summer. If not and the date gets pushed too far into the year, they will cancel those altogether and prepare for the fall garage sales.

“If things don’t clear by August, we will probably defer and turn to the fall sales,” Keller said.

Keller said they join all of the other communities in experiencing the pain of the rash of cancelled events that have cost respective communities dearly, but she said they will continue to be vigilant and work together to get through the experience until better times return.

“We still have a lot of questions, like most communities do, as to when things will be back to normal and we can feel better about what is going on,” Keller said. “But for now we have to err on the side of caution.”

For the car owners and those who love to reminisce about the old days and bask in the nostalgia these collectible and antique cars provide, they will have to simply rely on memories, pictures and tinkering with their own automobiles to pass the time. Because as Keller said, they are not alone in cancelling their event. She said she hasn’t seen or heard of a single car show scheduled to take place this summer that hasn’t called it a year.