Coronavirus closures impact Lumpkin County

A wave of coronavirus-related closures impacted Dahlonega in an big way on Thursday with the announcement of major postponements and cancellations across the county.
In the evening hours a robo-call went out from the office of Lumpkin County School Superintendent Rob Brown informing parents that schools will be closed “for a minimum of one week” starting Monday, March 16.
That announcement came a few hours after officials at University of North Georgia let students know that classes would come to a halt on Friday.
“Students are asked to depart campus by close of business Friday, March 13, 2020, and to remain away from campus until March 29, 2020,” stated the release. “… For students who are unable to leave campus, our Office of Resident Life and other offices will work to safely accommodate those students.”
Fundraisers and festivals were subject to stoppage as well.
Most notably The Bear on the Square mountain music festival, scheduled for April 18-19, will be cancelled for the first time in the popular event’s 24 year history.
“Out of an abundance of caution—as well as the love we have for our wonderful Bear family of musicians, artists, volunteers, sponsors, storytellers, vendors and more—we have made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s festival due to the Coronavirus,” stated a release from event organizers. “We know how much everyone looks forward to Bear and we will definitely be back in 2021, the weekend of April 17-18.”
The Taste of the Mountains fundraiser has also been tentatively rescheduled to May. Lumpkin Family Connection Director Brigette Barker said that all tickets purchased so far “will be honored.”
The Nugget will keep you up-to-date as this story unfolds on a local level.
Check back in to www.thedahloneganugget.com for continued updates.