Americade Postponed Until Late July

LAKE GEORGE, NY – Americade is being postponed for nearly two months and will be mounted in an altered form, organizer Christian Dutcher announced in a video released at midday today.

The new dates are July 21 through 25, instead of the previously planned June 1 through 6. Dutcher said it will be a largely “touchless Americade” with “shoulder-to-shoulder events” like concerts, comedy shows, and opening and closing ceremonies being scrapped.

“It has to be, obviously, a safe Americade. If we don’t feel at any point a safe Americade can happen in late July, we won’t run Americade in late July. It’s as simple as that,” said Dutcher, who later suggested that another postponement or even cancelation of the rally is still possible.

“I would never ask people to come to an event that I probably have reservations about. Simply won’t do it. Sorry,” he said.

Organizer Optimistic Rally Will Happen

Dutcher said that at present he is optimistic that Americade will come off on the new dates. “Things are trending ever-so-slightly in a positive direction, and we didn’t think that it was right to fully cancel Americade 2020, at least yet,” he said.

“A lot of people view it as an escape from the stresses of the world and, boy, could we use that right now, so we really want to make that happen.”

Rally Will Have Some Changes

While some elements will be dropped, others will be modified. Instead of guided rides, rides will be unguided. Motorcycle demos by manufacturers will be mounted but with greater spacing, one-way pedestrian traffic and and other safety measures.

The Expo area for vendors will have a different layout and likely longer hours. The number of people entering will be modulated, Dutcher said.

“There’s no guarantee this happens in late July but we think it will,” Dutcher said.

An update on the status of Laconia Motorcycle Week in Laconia, NH has yet to be announced. A decision on its status is expected by the end of April.