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Due to COVID-19 and the state restrictions enacted because of it, the Oakboro 4th of July committee has decided to cancel the 62nd Annual Oakboro 4th of July Celebration.

In a statement released by Oakboro Assistant Fire Chief Shea Morton, who was chairman of this year’s celebration, the committee said it was “deeply saddened” to have to cancel.

There will be no rides, parade, pageant or live bands.

Oakboro 4th of July Celebration will still hold raffle ticket prizes and a drawing and tickets will be available at the Oakboro Fire Department, from any firefighter or local business in the town or from one of the girls competing for the Oakboro 4th of July Spirit Queen. The top prizes will be $1,000, a Husqvarna Cooler & Husqvarna Rancher 455 Chainsaw and gift certificates.

Oakboro will also shoot fireworks at 10 p.m. July 4, but asks that everyone be considerate of others and maintain social distancing.

The town has been hosting the event, which is a fundraiser for the fire department, since 1958. The only time the celebration has been canceled was sometime in the early 1970s because the company that handled the rides didn’t show up.

The town of Faith in Rowan County has also decided to cancel its Fourth of July celebration. According to the Salisbury Post, the last time the town didn’t have the celebration was likely sometime during World War II.

“We would like to thank our community and sponsors for the support that has been shown to the Oakboro 4th of July Celebration for the last 62 years,” the 4th of July committee wrote. “We are already looking to 2021 for another amazing year of the Oakboro 4th of July Celebration.”