Corvallis’ 13th annual Septembeerfest, an event put on by Heart of the Valley Homebrewers, has been canceled due to concerns surrounding COVID-19. 

In a statement published to their Facebook page on Friday, Septembeerfest announced, “As the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the region, and local ICU [intensive care unit] beds have reached capacity, the Heart of the Valley Homebrewers have made the decision to cancelSeptembeerfest for a second consecutive year.”

Originally, the organizers of Septembeerfest planned on making the event vaccine and mask-mandatory, but Festival Director Patrick Gorman said for the safety of the community, they felt their best decision was to cancel the event entirely.

“We had hoped to be able to provide a safe venue for us to all gather and enjoy the best beers from the Willamette Valley, but the health and well-being of our community is our No. 1 priority, and we’re confident that canceling the event is the right call,” the statement read. 

For those who already purchased tickets for the event online, refunds will be processed as quickly as possible, according to the statement. 

Septembeerfest has been an annual event in Corvallis since 2006 and features local beer, food and live entertainment. All proceeds from the event are donated to local charities, predominantly Linn Benton Food Share and Heartland Humane Society. Heart of the Valley Homebrewers has donated almost $235,000 thus far. 

After having to cancel the event for the second year in a row, Gorman said they are planning to host the event in 2022, with a tentative date of Sept. 10. 

“We’re hoping to see everybody for the second reincarnation for the 13th annual,” Gorman said.