The 49th annual Pennsic War, scheduled to run from July 24 to Aug. 9 at Cooper's Lake Campground in Slippery Rock Township, has been postponed until next summer.

“Pretty much what would have been this year is going to continue into next year,” said Alex Hines, a spokesman for the event.

During the role-playing event, people dress, act and compete in the styles of medieval period.

The “war” draws between 8,000 to 10,000 people every year.

Scheduled activities included large melee battles, tournaments, archery, stage performances, dancing and other medieval events and shops.

Megan List of Butler said she and her family have gone to the event for the last five years.

“It's a great event that our entire family can go to,” she said.

List said she enjoys the educational aspects, as well as the fun activities. She said at the “Pennsic University” activity, there is the opportunity for people to learn about all sorts of medieval skills, ideas and items that originated from the period, like underwear, bookmaking and stained-glass.

“A lot of times you're looking at very well-researched lessons from people who are very passionate about the topic,” List said.

DisappointmentList said she was disappointed the event won't happen this year, but she is thankful the decision was made early enough that merchants who rely on Pennsic for income will be able to shift into creating more general merchandise.She said many merchants craft items specifically for the event.“I'm proud of the leadership of the event for making this hard decision and owning this decision,” List said. “I think it speaks to the professionalism of our organization and the seriousness we take of our hobby.”Hines said organizers carefully considered the health of local residents and those attending the event. He said right now there wasn't enough information about whether the county would be open for business in time.“At some point, you have to make the decision that there's not enough time to wait for that uncertainty,” Hines said.James Brezel, president of Cooper's Lake Campground, said the business and the event have been communicating throughout the pandemic and had a mutual understanding about the postponement.“Of course nobody wants to cancel,” Brezel said. “With everything going on, we need to think about the concerns of safety of the people coming here and our staff.”

Township to lose revenueWorth Township benefits from Cooper's Lake events through its amusement tax.The township receives approximately $67,000 annually from the tax, according to township secretary and treasurer Shari Kreutz.Kreutz said the medieval event is not the only event affected by the coronavirus.“That is a big hit on this township,” she said. “We'll be OK.”Kreutz said the township has money in reserve, and the fiscal year is still young enough to improve its standing before winter, when the budget becomes more impacted by the weather's unpredictably.“We'll definitely be tightening the belt,” Kreutz said. “Definitely I've been telling supervisors we won't be purchasing anything this year and road work will get cut back to what needs to be done.”Brezel said he also is concerned about how the postponement will affect other area businesses, which may or may not be open in July or August.“It's going to be tough for a lot of people around here, our businesses and our friends,” Brezel said.There is finality for this year's event, but Hines said many took the postponement well and have begun planning for 2021.He said event planners have no way of forecasting how many people will come next year, but there is optimism.“I think absence makes the heart grow fonder,” he said.The Pennsic Wars have been held on the Brezel's family's land for as long as he can remember, which is about age 4. He said the event will be back where it belongs next year.“There are a lot of people in that community that are like family,” Brezel said. “I certainly don't want to see it going anywhere I know for a fact that they don't either.”