The Lilly Center for Lakes & Streams, in consultation with the city of Warsaw and Grace College officials, has cancelled the 2020 Northern Indiana Lakes Festival.

The festival was originally scheduled for Friday-Saturday, May 22-23. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak and the unpredictability of the virus’s spread, safety of local residents and out-of-town visitors is of utmost importance.

“Until the virus is a non-threat, it’s essential to follow the CDC’s guidelines to temporarily limit large gatherings,” said Mayor Joseph Thallemer, city of Warsaw. “We support the Lilly Center and Grace College’s responsibility to cancel the festival out of an abundance of caution for our community’s wellbeing.”

The Lilly Center is hopeful learning opportunities and family events will resume during the summer. “Our first priority is Kosciusko County’s health and safety,” said Dr. Nate Bosch, director of the Lilly Center. “We look forward to offering a wide variety of family-friendly, hands-on lake science activities later this year.” In fact, several components of the Lakes Festival are being changed to stand-alone events in the summer and fall.

All COVID-19 updates for the state of Indiana can be found at on.in.gov/COVID19. For more information about Lilly Center events, visit lakes.grace.edu.