Return Day 2020 canceled

The hatchet has been buried for Return Day 2020. The unique Delaware event, held every two years on the Thursday following the election, has been canceled for 2020 due to COVID-19 safety concerns.

Sussex County Return Day President Debbie Jones posted a message to the group’s Facebook page with the news.

“The safety of everyone involved with Return Day is our priority,” said Jones. “This includes many participants and followers who come from surrounding counties and states. Even a scaled-back event would have the same concerns and not be what everyone has come to look forward to.”

Jones’s post goes on to lament the cancellation as a rare occurrence. “In looking back at the history of Return Day, the last time it was not held was during 1942 through 1946 due to World War II.”

For more information and updates go to returnday.com.

See photos from the 2016 event: capegazette.com/article/hatchet-buried-during-return-day/120010