CLIFTON, N.J. – The 20th annual Lemko Vatra festival originally scheduled for June 27-28 in Ellenville, N.Y., has been cancelled this year and postponed to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This decision was made via a special conference call meeting of the National Board of the Organization for the Defense of Lemkivshchyna (OOL), which organizes the Lemko Vatra in the U.S.A. each year.
Currently, the Board of Health of Ulster County (which includes Ellenville) is not sanctioning large gatherings, and it is unclear when they will be allowed again. The OOL National Board weighed various options, such as waiting and seeing or postponing to later in the year, but decided out of an abundance of caution to refocus and plan for the 20th Lemko Vatra to take place in 2021.
The OOL will formally announce the date of the next Lemko Vatra at a future time, but anticipates that it will be rescheduled to June 25-26, 2021. The organization thanks all of its supporters for their understanding and wishes everyone safety and health during this difficult time.
Any additional questions can be addressed to Mark Howansky at [email protected] or 917-678-4168.