Melanie Lekocevic is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media the annual Greene County firefighters’ convention and parades are the latest local events to be canceled in 2020, due to the coronavirus outbreak and the limit on the size of public gatherings imposed by the state. The yearly gathering is hosted by the Greene County Volunteer Firemen's Association was originally scheduled to take place during the week of September 7. The decision to cancel was based on a majority vote of the organization's members on August 6. “There were 27 votes to cancel and 15 to go ahead with it,” Greene County Volunteer Firemen’s Association President Tyrel Sherman said. “The discussion over canceling was because of safety reasons, for social gathering and social distancing. There was a general consensus that with the number of things that have been canceled for COVID, it would be the same for us — concerns over social gathering.” An important part of the convention is the memorial service held in honor of the firefighters who died during the previous year. Association members are trying to find another time to honor those who have been lost, Sherman said. The convention and parades draw hundreds of participants and viewers, and features fire departments from Greene County, as well as Columbia and Albany counties, and beyond. Other annual events impacted by the pandemic include the Athens Street Festival, East Durham Irish Festival, as well as Memorial Day and St. Patrick's Day parades. The annual Greene County Youth Fair and the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival are two of many that offered virtual versions of their events online. Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.