07/23/2020
Dear Jammin' family,
We the organizers have come to the difficult and disappointing conclusion that safely and responsibly holding Jammin' on the James this year is simply not possible.
We have been monitoring the situation since the beginning, but the fact is Jammin' is a large gathering of people, from disparate, even foreign places, who often forego sleep and good nutrition with the central purpose of physically touching dozens of other people confined in an enclosed space. In essence the myriad of circumstances that make Jammin' beloved, are the exact circumstances that make holding it in a pandemic recklessly dangerous.
While October is a ways off, and numbers from COVID-19 may still change for the good, we as organizers are at a crossroads regarding opening registration and making unrefundable commitments. Waiting longer would risk a low quality, and possibly prohibitively expensive event, while committing now represents beyond-wishful thinking.
While this decision may be no surprise to most given the current state of the pandemic in Virginia and the rest of the country, we feel it is important to state it outright. Know that your safety is and always has been our number one priority.
Jammin' on the James has brought the joy of Lindy hop to people around the country joy over the last 17 years and we are sad to let it go in 2020. We cannot wait to see you all out on the dance floor in the future. In the meantime we wish you health, happiness, and safety.
Kyle and Dave and the whole Jammin' team
