Upper Moreland Township made an announcement today explaining their rationale for cancelling the annual June Fete Fair and Horse & Pony Show.
According to the notice, the decision involved “multiple discussions with the Upper Moreland Police Department and Emergency Responders and continual meetings with the June Fete committee”.
“The overall criminal actions at several neighboring communities led to this,” interim township manager Patrick Stasio told Glenside Local. “There was nothing specifically mentioned about June Fete. It’s just what’s happening in our area. We want to make sure everyone visiting is safe, and we didn’t feel their proposal met those requirements.”
The notice says the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution” and that the collective opinion of public safety officials is “that while additional security measures proposed in the revised permit application were appreciated, the high risk of safety and security issues remain.” It points to “fights, assaults, robberies, and gun violence” at numerous local events that are similar to the June Fete and which “overloaded public safety resources and lead to cancellations of partial or all of certain events within our immediate area.”
“The recent safety concerns and dangerous conditions at other local events pose a real and obvious safety issue for the 2024 June Fete Fair and Horse and Pony Show”, the notice said.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to reach. We noted to the committee that every event is its own,” Stasio said. “If things change for next year or if there are additional security options, we fully expect to hold it in 2025.”
Stasio was unable to provide details regarding the recent departure of township manager Matthew Candland.
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