From Staff Reports 

LAKE LURE —  The annual Lake Lure Dirty Dancing Festival, which was scheduled to be held Sept. 24-25, recently announced on its Facebook page that the gala has been postponed until 2022.

The postponement marks the second consecutive year that the popular event will not take place. The 1987 American romantic drama dance film “Dirty Dancing” was partially filmed at Lake Lure.

The posting stated, “We are heartbroken to once again deliver the news that due to the ongoing coronavirus, the Dirty Dancing Festival is pressing pause on the 2021 event scheduled to be held this September.

“We had no idea when we postponed the festival last year (2020) we would still be working through a pandemic one year later. We’re grateful for all of your understanding and patience as we all work towards some kind of ‘new normal.’”

The announcement of the postponement drew the wrath of a number of fans, including the following Facebook responses:

• Rayenelle Ritchie — “This is ridiculous... we have to get back on with our lives. Very disappointed in this committee’s decision.”

ª Beth Nance — “This is so sad and disappointing. But it’s okay to go to Walmart and other places, but our festivals are cancelled.”

• Stacey Chamness — “NC restrictions are being lifted. Hoping for a fun festival weekend??”

• Tara Dee Crocker —  “I wish we could just go on with life and if people want to attend, they do, if not, they don’t.”

• Kim Murray-Newton — “ Interesting, Mountain Lake is having about 5, but they don’t have the crowds that Lake Lure has.”

• Deborah Farnham — “Kim Murray-Newton honestly it doesn’t matter how big the crowd is if one person is sick they don’t need to come. If you’re around one person or a thousand people, it really makes no difference if they’re well and the masks aren’t preventing anything. MIT actually admitted publicly yesterday that masks prevent nothing.”

• Becky W. Warren — “So disappointed.”

* Heather Leigh Groothedde — “Ugh, this is crazy! It’s outside! We are all adults and like others said, if people want to attend they know the risk.”

• Deborah Farnham — “Lake Lure is one of the most Gestapo areas around. They are afraid of their own shadows. It is really sad that these people are living in such FEAR!!! False Evidence Appearing Real and they have so bought the LIE.”