The Continental Tire Street Machine Nationals, one of the biggest draws to southern Illinois, has been canceled for 2020.
The event was to have been held Oct. 9-11 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds -- which was already rescheduled from the summer. Thousands of people from the Midwest and beyond come to southern Illinois to take part or just spectate.
But the persistency of the coronavirus -- and the fact that Phase 4 of the Recover Illinois plan limits gatherings to 50 people or less -- has caused Bonnier Events to cancel the 2020 event and look forward to 2021.
In a news release, Bonnier Events did say it is looking for a viable location to hold an "alternate" Street Machine Nationals later this year.
Du Quoin Mayor Guy Alongi said while it is disappointing the event has been canceled, the southern Illinois region -- as opposed to Du Quoin itself -- will suffer the greater loss. The Street Machine Nationals bring in fans from all over the Midwest and beyond, all of whom need places to stay and restaurants to eat in.
"When you have an event that brings in 25,000 to 30,000 people, Du Quoin doesn't have the accommodations to handle all of them," Alongi said.
The places that do exceptionally well are Marion, Carbondale and Mt. Vernon, he said, where there are 600, 700 or more than 1,000 rooms available and a lot of restaurants. Even the Metro East area gets spillover from the Nationals, he said.
Du Quoin, he said, has about 100 motel/hotel rooms, and most of those are booked early by the people working at the event.
"When the fairgrounds close for the evening, people don't stay in town -- they go back to their hotel rooms and that's where they eat," Alongi said.
He added that unlike the Du Quoin State Fair, where there are lots of opportunities for local vendors to set up shop and make good money, the Street Machine Nationals people bring in most of their own vendors, selling T-shirts and jackets and more. A few local food vendors may be there.
Still, even if Du Quoin doesn't make a windfall, the city is proud to host events that bring people in from around the country, he said.
"It's always nice to have the name Du Quoin next to an event," Alongi said.
Meanwhile, registered participants will get an email from the box office with the option to transfer their registration to a 2021 Street Machine Nationals Event in Du Quoin, or opt for a refund.
Participants can find additional details and instructions in that email and have until Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020 to make a decision.
Individual Spectator tickets to the Street Machine Nationals that were bought online will be refunded automatically within 30 days.
