The 2020 Bancroft Rockhound Gemboree — Canada’s largest annual gem and mineral show — has been cancelled due to COVID-19.
The four-day event usually runs every August civic holiday weekend, and was scheduled to take place from July 30th to August 2nd in the Town of Bancroft.
Normally organized by the Bancroft and District Chamber of Commerce, this was to be the first year the Gemboree was to be jointly organized by the Town of Bancroft and the Chamber.
“It is with deep regret today that the Town must announce the cancellation of the 2020 Rockhound Gemboree,” reads a media release from the Town of Bancroft on Thursday (April 30).
“The uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to plan the event with any sense of sureness. At this time, it is unknown how or when the Province will relax physical distancing measures or when large gatherings will again be permitted.”
The show is usually held at the Bancroft Curling Club and the North Hastings Community Centre and features around 100 dealers of fine minerals, crystals, gems, fossils, jewellery, art pieces, and lapidary supplies, as well as daily mineral collecting tours, speakers, demonstrations, and workshops.
The Gemboree began in 1963 and has been named one of the top 100 events by Festivals and Events Ontario several years in a row. Around 8,000 people visit the Gemboree every year, generating around $1 million in revenue for the local economy.
