Karl Lukitsch of the Pittsburgh-based German-style band Autobahn plays the accordion for attendees of the Harmony Christmas market.

Add another event to the list of COVID-19-related cancellations around the county.

At its August board meeting, the Harmony Museum opted to cancel the annual Weihnachtsmarkt, its German-themed Christmas market, out of an abundance of caution for its volunteers and in the belief the event could not take place with limitations on how many people can be at an event.

“One of the biggest (factors) is we depend on more than 100 volunteers to help with admissions and staffing and the food, and we couldn't see how we could have volunteers interacting with people at the admissions or selling things,” museum president Rodney Gasch said. “We just didn't see how we could keep our volunteers safe. Many of them are over 65.”

He also added that the 250-person gathering limitation would have been prohibitive for the museum's annual function.

The cancellation of the museum's Christmas celebration is another setback to its fundraising for the year, which has been hampered by other cancellations and earlier prohibitions on renting out its historic sites. Gasch called the Weihnachtsmarkt a “significant fundraiser” for the museum, potentially placing a “big hole” in its budget.

Not only that, he said, it also hurts the vendors who provide some of the unique crafts that attract people to the Harmony area for the Christmas event.

This is an excerpt from a larger article that appears in Thursday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.

FB: The Harmony Museum opted to cancel the annual Weihnachtsmarkt, one of the mueseum's largest fundraisers. “We just didn't see how we could keep our volunteers safe. Many of them are over 65,” said the museum president.