The Manitoba Sunflower Festival hosted annually in Altona has joined the list of many others in the region that won't be taking place this summer.

"The health and safety of our volunteers, visitors and vendors is our first priority, and due to current circumstances, we cannot guarantee that safety. The current situation made cancelling the festival the only responsible option," explained the organizing committee in a letter to supporters.

Theresa Figurki chairs the planning committee.

"In recognition that we are a committee made up of volunteers, so to keep hanging on...we just had to make the decision," she said.

"What are you gonna do? We are not immune to COVID-19," added Figurski. "Our summers in Manitoba are short and bring great weather...people love to get outside and do things and the Festival is a great family celebration. It's kind of a bummer but life goes on, there's other things to do, you can still get outside and bike ride, play tennis, go to the park, we're just not going to have large gatherings."

Additionally, the annual Manitoba Sunflower Queen pageant has also been cancelled for 2021.

While organizers expressed a sadness over not being able to host the festival for the second year in a row, Figurski did allude to the possibility of other activities and events that will allow people to celebrate the community safely this summer.

In addition, the sunflower selfie plot has been seeded next to Access Field.

"We can't wait to see your sunflower selfies when the field blooms in late July," noted organizers.

The committee urges people to stay tuned for more information to come about fun summer festivities that can be enjoyed safely.