The fate of Palmerton’s crown jewel attraction will soon be learned.

Scheduled to have its run Sept. 11-13, a decision on the 31st annual Palmerton Community Festival will be made when the Palmerton Festival Committee meets at 7 p.m. June 18.

At that time, the festival committee will meet at the Palmerton pool picnic grove pavilion to discuss what will occur for the event, according to Susie Arner, event chairwoman.

Arner said the meeting is not only mandatory, but extremely important as it marks the committee’s first meeting since March.

“We had to cancel since March,” Arner said. “We’re just playing a catch-up game here, as well as decisions need to be made.”

At this point, Arner said “feelings are mixed.”

“I even did my own little ask everybody thing on my own (emailed festival participants), and it’s evenly mixed across the board,” she said. “There were a lot of concerns with will people attend, will there be decent attendance, will there not be decent attendance, and if they attend, will they stay?”

Which is why Arner said it’s too early to tell what the outcome of next week’s meeting will yield.

“I’m not sure which way we should go at this point,” she said. “After talking with many of the participants, there’s a lot of mixed emotions, and it’s pretty mixed across the board with some saying we should move forward, and some saying we should wait.”

Arner said the decision will be made after the meeting.

Either way, nonprofit organizations - the lifeblood of the festival - will be affected.

“We all know the size (of the event); I’m sure they’re either going to have to think outside the box and come up with some other ways to come up with funds (if the event isn’t held),” she said. “It definitely generates considerable profit for their cause, or it will have an impact on the community and the service that their various organization can provide.”

Arner took it a step further.

“Even the small businesses that participate, such as the rides and some of the food vendors, are impacted by loss of work just like any other small business by all of these events being canceled since March,” she said.

Arner said she also posted a message on Facebook a few weeks ago to gauge the public’s interest.

“The response from the public was very similar as the response I received from the participants; there was a mixture of responses from the public, as there was from the participants,” she said. “But more of the public felt they would attend; there was a strong indication that most of the people who responded would attend; they had their concerns but they said they would use common sense and good judgment.”

Arner said she understands the mix of emotions due to the concerns brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

“There has to be enough participation from the usual vendors for the event to even happen,” she said. “Some are unsure whether they want to participate due to their own volunteers not willing to subject themselves to that potential exposure.”