Jared McNett
2 hrs ago
In 2020, the Friends of the 457 folks in Mason City, who help preserve and promote the Cannonball locomotive in East Park, had no way to celebrate the century-old colossus.
The COVID-19 pandemic put the kibosh on plans for the annual Cannonball Day celebration in 2020, which typically happens the last weekend of June.
Lisa Grouette / LISA GROUETTE, Globe Gazette
The 457 Rotary Cannonball display will open with limited access
to the public at the beginning of May. Restrictions are expected to
loosen toward June.
For 2021, it s full steam ahead on Cannonball Day for organizers, but former Mason City Parks Superintendent and 457 contributor Mark Suby said it ll take some work to get to June 26, which will feature live music and tricycle races.
No doubt about it, 2020 was difficult.
Many small businesses and families are taking terrible financial and emotional blows. It breaks my heart to see it. Sometimes it has been hard to know whether we need an economist or a psychiatrist to help us move forward. Covid has affected all of us in a very deep and more personal way than weâve seen in a long time. Sixty families in Cerro Gordo County have lost loved ones to whom they could not give their final goodbye. People are out of work. And some businesses have been devastated. But hang in there. Thank you for adjusting your sails. And rest assured, the community is here with you, standing with you. And Mason City is poised to come back stronger and better than ever.