Carlisle Events, Health Department Tussle Over Spring Show
For two days in mid-June, Carlisle Events feared not hosting most of its auctions due to pandemic-related lawsuit, beat the odds.
The 2020 Carlisle Chevrolet Nationals have come and gone, offering more than a few LS and LT fans plenty to celebrate. Things were different, of course, as the pandemic still rages on. The indoor auto auction was not only cancelled for the event, but for the rest of 2020. However, vendors were still selling, the outdoor displays were still gleaming in the sun, all was well.
It almost wasn’t, though. A week earlier, Carlisle Events was at odds with the Pennsylvania Department of Health over the 2020 Spring Carlisle. According to our friends over at Carlisle, the issue started with a waiver application.
Pennsylvania has one of the toughest COVID-19 re-opening phase plans in the United States. The color-coded, three-phase plan entered its last phase May 29, per Allentown newspaper The Morning Call, when 18 counties moved forward. One of the restrictions of the phase included gatherings of no more than 250.
Realizing this would be a problem for the organizers, Carlisle Events applied for a waiver for the Spring Carlisle on June 9. However, the health department sat on the request until June 16. Their response? A letter reminding Carlisle of the phase restrictions, and a demand for a written response by 7 p.m. that day.
The next day, the health department sued Carlisle Events.
However, one judge wasn’t buying the actions behind the suit. According to Carlisle newspaper The Sentinel, Commonwealth Court Judge Anne Covey questioned the way the department handled its case. Aside from filing it on the morning of the Spring Carlisle, Judge Covey said other large venues were opening at half-capacity. Thus, why couldn’t Carlisle?
On June 19, the health department settled with Carlisle Events, ending its lawsuit against the organizers. Thus, upcoming happenings like Corvettes at Carlisle and the Fall Carlisle will go on as planned.
The terms of the settlement are, as usual for such things, undisclosed. However, we believe the health department simply didn’t have a leg to stand on. That just means more Monte Carlos, Corvettes and Camaros for us to see at our favorite place, though.
Photos: Flickr/Carlisle Events
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