KANSAS CITY, Mo. — SantaCaliGon Days Festival returns Thursday night with no mask requirement, but the opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
The event, which begins Thursday night and runs through 5 p.m. Monday, encourages mask usage – in alignment with Independence’s public health advisory – because “there will be a large number of people from different households,” according to a news release.
The city’s health department also will offer vaccines from noon to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday and from noon to 4 p.m. Monday. The first 50 people who are inoculated will receive a VIP wristband.
SantaCaliGon, a largely outdoor event, comes as the Independence City Council voted down a mask mandate last month, and two weeks later issued a warning of COVID-19 exposure from that meeting.
Several musical acts are scheduled to perform over the course of the Labor Day weekend, including country artists Sawyer Brown and Little Texas.
Other planned activities, in addition to the carnival, include a high school robotics competition, a root beer chugging contest and an ice cream eating contest. For more information, visit the SantaCaliGon Days Festival website.