Pandemic Forces Cancellation of Annual Fourth Ward Holiday Tour

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - EntSun -- For the first time in the 43 year history of Fourth Ward Holiday Home Tours, the event has been canceled. Friends of Fourth Ward board members and event organizers, in daily contact with county and state health officials, have closely monitored COVID-19 infection rate data and have canceled the signature event for serious health safety reasons.

"It breaks my heart," says Miller Winecoff, a longtime Fourth Ward resident and current Friends of Fourth Ward president and Chair of the Tour Committee, "but it is definitely the right call. The health of our patrons, neighbors, sponsors, entertainers, and everyone else involved in the event is of paramount importance to the Friends of Fourth Ward."

The tour event had already pivoted during the COVID-19 crisis. It eliminated the traditional in-home visits and transitioned to a festive, outdoor celebration with seasonal street entertainment, holiday decorations, lighting, and food and beverage samplings. The tour was aptly rebranded to Fourth Ward "Sip & Stroll."

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The Friends of Fourth Ward (FOFW) and the Fourth Ward Foundation are non-profit 501(c)(3) community associations founded in 1976. They are volunteer-driven organizations whose missions are to provide cultural, social, and educational benefits to residents and local organizations while preserving the unique character of Uptown Charlotte's Fourth Ward. The first public Fourth Ward Holiday Tour was launched in 1979.

FOFW raises money through the annual Holiday Home Tour, the spring Secret Gardens of Fourth Ward Tour, member dues and donations, business supporters, and through grants requested from other Foundations and nonprofits.

Part of the cancellation communication to ticket holders and sponsors will include bright holiday wishes and a humble request to donate, if able and feeling the spirit, the refunds to the Friends of Fourth Ward (http://www.fofw.org/). For more information about Friends of Fourth Ward and their holiday events, go to https://www.fofw.org.