Gatsby Day, not “Gatsby Days” this time around, brought out music lovers to downtown Excelsior Springs a couple of weeks back.

The Mushroom Festival did the same thing for three days in downtown Richmond.

Neither event occurred spontaneously. Both resulted from the work of volunteers, who deserve congratulations on a job well done in a time of international crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic – the same viral explosion that canceled both events in 2020.

Gatsby Day – in addition to morning golf and other festivities – made music the highlight event. A variety of music provided by numerous artists dominated the afternoon and continued into the evening. The tunes did not include, “Happy Days are Here Again,” but could have, given appreciative crowd members who at last had their vaccine shots and a chance to get outdoors with their neighbors.

The Mushroom Festival overcame two threats. First, last year, organizers called off the event because of the virus. With COVID-19 still tugging at corners of people’s consciousness – the virus is in check, is declining, but is not gone completely – caution again could have led to canceling the event for a second year in a row. With the Chamber of Commerce, which traditionally sponsors the event, deciding against holding the festival, Friends of the Farris stepped up.

Friends of the Farris decided against holding all the events usually associated with the festival – the parade and dancing among them –to keep people from packing together in crowds. This nod toward social distancing should be applauded for the exercise of caution, while recognizing that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledges that outdoor events, though not completely safe, are far safer than indoor events.

Although providing fewer activities, the three-day Mushroom Festival offered plenty to do – shopping at an eclectic collection of booths, from Lego-style miniatures to pinwheels; a carnival with rides and games; a car show with lots of sweet rides, vintage and modern; and music. The same can be said about the food – lots of different kinds to tempt the palate: gyros, corndogs and even a rare fair food, salads.

Everyone involved with putting together two terrific festivals deserves congratulions from community members.

Kudos.