Sumter's eSTEAM festival canceled on account of COVID-19

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One of Sumter’s newer festivals that brought thousands of kids to downtown Sumter in each of its first couple years will take a year off in the face of continued coronavirus concerns.

What would have been the third-annual eSTEAM Sumter Festival, an outdoor event along South Main Street that features myriad kid-focused hands-on activities at booths led by schools, businesses and community groups, will return in October 2021. According to organizer Erika Williams, those at TheLink, Sumter Economic Development and other organizing partners said it would be irresponsible to hold such a large gathering when COVID-19 is still impacting the community.

“We’re just not going to take a chance,” she said.

eSTEAM is celebrated the day after National Manufacturing Day in October. It celebrates advancement in science, technology, engineering, art and math and allows attendees to “see, experience and dream about future careers while interfacing with industries and organizations that can make their dreams a reality.”

From making slime and painting a piano to using power tools and hopping on a scissor lift, eSTEAM organizers, event attendees and community and education leaders have said it is one of the more exciting programs for student education and workforce development in the region.

“It’s gaining momentum. It’s winning awards (more on that in this Weekend Edition),” Williams said. “To think of only opening it up to a couple hundred kids really takes away from what the festival is about.”

She said 3,000 attended the inaugural year. Last year, 6,000 showed up. They were expecting around 9,000-10,000 attendees this year.

The event is free, and there are too many entrances – it lines and blocks off South Main Street and takes up the Central Carolina Technical College parking lot at its downtown campus – to monitor for social distancing and capacity during the pandemic, Williams said.

Even with the governor allowing entertainment venues to reopen starting Monday, Aug. 3, they wouldn’t be able to get plans together in time. They do still want to keep the momentum and educational opportunities alive, Williams said.

“We’ve been thinking of different ways to still be able to do something, like smaller pods or take-home science kits,” she said. “We’re still going to celebrate the day.”