Town hopes for Appalachian Trail festival despite COVID-19

DAMASCUS, Va. — Despite a COVID-19-related warning to stay off the Appalachian Trail, some leaders in this “Town of Many Trails” are still hoping to hold an annual three-day festival this spring.

Trail Days Chairwoman Susan Coleman told the Bristol Herald Courier the town is still planning to hold the event in May.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s advisory for thru-hikers to stay off the 2,190-mile-long Appalachian Trail was issued in response to COVID-19 concerns.

The popular Trail Days festival was canceled last May in Damascus. In years past, as many as 20,000 people have attended the event.

The small town of about 1,000 is located near Virginia’s border with Tennessee.

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