CHANGE OF VENUE
South High Marathon Dance to take place at Great Escape
QUEENSBURY, N.Y. » The annual South High Marathon Dance is moving to Six Flags Great Escape Resort for 2021.
After evaluating many options, this new site was chosen considering public health as a priority, organizers said, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The dance - now a singleday, private event - is scheduled for Friday, April 30 at the Great Escape.
The annual South High Marathon Dance is the pinnacle of a months-long community effort raising hope and funds for recipients - local individuals, families and charitable organizations experiencing monetary hardship or emotional distress due to life-changing serious, long-term medical or sudden catastrophic events.
Conducting the yearly event has become a show of community strength and emotional support to those individuals and organizations. The event marks the culmination of receiving contributions from the public and other donors, while both supporting the recipients and recognizing the students’ efforts.
Previously scheduled for the first full weekend in March, in October 2020 organizers moved to push the event back two months in order to provide more time for COVID-19 restrictions to relax, as well as for the community to adapt to the current environment and hope for warmer weather.
For the past 43 years the event has taken place in a gymnasium at the South Glens Falls Senior High School.
This year, the South High Marathon Dance will have exclusive use of the amusement park, with most activity set to take place under four large pavilions and at a catering building in the North Woods Picnic Grove.
The Great Escape will not be open to the public on this day, and will work collaboratively with event organizers in the upcoming weeks to create a dynamic program and schedule.
Unlike the traditional marathon dance, which typically goes for 28-hours, the 44th annual event will commence in the morning and end later that evening.
The decision to make the dance a single-day event reduces participant and staff fatigue and weakened immune systems.
The South High Marathon Dance continues to work in partnership with the South Glens Falls Central School District, The Great Escape,
Warren County, and others to ensure event plans meet or exceed minimum public health requirements.
The spacious property and the event’s exclusive use provides flexibility to enable adequate distancing and ensure compliance with public health requirements.
This year’s attendees have banded together in small classroom-sized groups to help facilitate contact tracing. They will move within the park and participate in activities with the same persons throughout the entirety of the event.
Prior to being granted entry into the park, all attendees and event staff will be required to receive a negative diagnostic test result for COVID-19 no more than 72 hours prior to the event.
Additional public health practices include social distancing, mask-wearing, and COVID-19 screening of anyone entering park property, along with all personal protective equipment and precautions taken during a regular school day.
“We are ecstatic that this iconic event that has provided so much for so many people can go forward this year,” Warren County Director of Public Health Ginelle Jones said in a press release. “We have reviewed the event plans to abide by current New York State gathering guidelines and found them to be well thought out and in the interest of health and safety of all involved.”
Six Flags Great Escape Resort has long supported the South High Marathon Dance through donations of funds and resources.
“We are incredibly proud to come together for this amazing cause and provide our park as the location for a safe, memorable and fun marathon dance experience this year,” Six Flags Great Escape Resort president Rebecca Wood said in the release. “This is a staple event for our community and our team could not be more excited to support the Bulldog family as they work hard to make a difference despite the challenges this pandemic has presented.
“We are honored to kick off the 2021 season at The Great Escape by partnering with SHMD.”
Leaders among the school community express their appreciation for the park’s support.
“The South High Marathon Dance is thrilled to partner with Six Flags Great Escape for SHMD 2021,” event co-advisor Tom Myott said in the release. “They are an amazing organization and have been more than accommodating to work with. They will assist us in continuing our mission to help community members in need.”
South Glens Falls Central School District superintendent Kristine Orr added, “We are thrilled that our students will be able to participate in SHMD this year, in partnership with The Great Escape. As you know, safety has been a key aspect of every decision we’ve made as a district this year, and it has also been a priority with Marathon.
“This is an important, community-building event and we’re excited it will be happening! We can’t wait!”
This excitement comes after months of organizers discussing what the 2021 South High Marathon Dance would look like.
In January, a ThoughtExchange captured a significant number of ideas from hundreds of students, alumni, and members of the community about the upcoming 44th annual event.
In February and March committee members assessed many options for feasibility, conducted further research and evaluation, and reached out to partner organizations to refine the possibilities.
The desire to conduct the event in a large outdoor environment with existing structures, coupled with New York state announcing the opening of amusement parks, led the South High Marathon Dance to The Great Escape.
Factors such as space limitations, air circulation, challenges associated with arranging sufficient outdoor tent covering, and lack of ability to have all participants
on the same footprint simultaneously all contributed to the decision to move the event away from its usual site at the high school.
Plans for the event are subject to change based on future state and local public health guidance and requirements.
Because this year’s South High Marathon Dance is not open to the public, it will integrate a live broadcast to bring the spirit of the event beyond its physical boundaries to supporters near and far.
More information about the South High Marathon Dance is available online at www.shmd.org, as well as on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SHMDInc, Twitter @shmdnow, or Instagram @shmdnow.