Returns will be read and hatchet will be buried

Three Georgetown elected officials will not let Return Day 2020 pass by.

Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, R-Georgetown, Rep. Ruth Briggs King, R-Georgetown, and Georgetown Mayor Bill West have joined forces to host a revamped Return Day, even though the actual event has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On The Circle, election results will be read at noon, Thursday, Nov. 5, by Sussex County Sheriff Robert Lee, followed by the burying of the hatchet on the stage in front of the Sussex County administrative offices by the chairs of the Sussex County Democratic, Republican, Independent and Libertarian parties.

“Dozens of individuals have contacted me over the course of several weeks to see what could be done to keep the tradition of Return Day alive,” Pettyjohn said. “The divisive and caustic nature of the 2020 election season makes it especially important that we perform this act to show our constituents that we are ready to move past the election and govern for all people.”

King added, “Return Day is an important part of our county and adds to the way that we all work together regardless of party. The coming together to bury the hatchet is our reset to show that we are not enemies, and that regardless of our political differences, we are Americans, Delawareans and Sussex Countians.”

“Georgetown is the center of our beloved Sussex County,” West said. “This is where people, for over 200 years, have come together to celebrate the end of the election, to meet their newly elected officials, and begin the work of mending fences that may have been damaged during the partisan political season. With the turmoil that we have all faced in 2020, it’s important that we come together and move forward.”

The Circle will be closed to traffic from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. No additional Return Day-related events will be held by the organizers. All participants and spectators will be expected to abide by COVID-19 guidelines relating to social distancing and face coverings.

The event is neither sponsored, endorsed nor authorized by the Sussex County Return Day Committee.

For additional information and updates, visit BuryTheHatchet2020.com.