QUEENSBURY, N.Y. — The South High Marathon Dance, a longtime local fundraiser and beloved area tradition, is returning this spring for its 45th year.

The 2022 event is scheduled for Friday, May 13, and will be held at Six Flags Great Escape in Queensbury, organizers announced, noting that public health and safety measures will be in place.

Prior to last year, the dance took place in a gymnasium at the South Glens Falls Senior High School for 43 consecutive years.

Last year, due to a myriad of pandemic-related issues making an event at the school almost a logistical impossibility, Six Flags Great Escape opened its gates to the event, allowing it to raise $506,013.31 for 24 beneficiaries.

This annual event is the culmination of months’ worth of tireless efforts raising hope and funds for recipients – individuals, families and charitable organizations in the area who are experiencing monetary hardship or emotional distress due to life-changing serious, long-term medical or sudden catastrophic events, a press release said. The annual event is a celebration of those efforts and an opportunity to provide emotional support to those individuals and organizations, as well as to mark the endpoint of receiving contributions from the public and other donors. It also provides the students an opportunity to meet directly with many of the recipients that they are assisting.

“The South High Marathon Dance is so appreciative of Six Flags Great Escape’s offer to again host SHMD this May,” South High Marathon Dance co-advisor Tom Myott said in the release. “Six Flags Great Escape has been a longtime supporter of SHMD, and following the success of last year’s event (the first ever held away from the South Glens Falls High  School), we are looking forward to this year’s marathon dance! With great assistance from our partners at Six Flags  Great Escape, SHMD will again be able to help organizations and people in need in our community.”

South Glens Falls Central School District Superintendent Kristine Orr added, “We are thrilled that our students will  be able to participate in SHMD this year, again in partnership with Six Flags Great Escape. We expect this year’s  marathon to be better than ever and having it outside is a key safety aspect to mitigate any sickness. This event is  important to South Glens Falls and our surrounding community and we look forward to it!”

Six Flags Great Escape has long supported the South High Marathon Dance through generous donations of funds and resources. Four years ago, the event increased security by implementing screening procedures for all persons entering the school building. Six Flags Great Escape willingly has loaned thousands of dollars in metal detection equipment to enhance the safety of the event annually since 2018. Now, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Six Flags Great Escape will again open its gates to the South High Marathon Dance to conduct the 45th annual event on its property.

“We are incredibly honored to host this annual fundraiser at our theme park as a safe location for an unforgettable, non-stop dance experience,” Six Flags Great Escape Resort President Rebecca Wood said in the release. “This is a cherished event for our community, and our team could not be more ready to do anything we can to support this amazing cause. After seeing the hard work that goes into pulling off this monumental event last year, we are proud to offer our property as a location and assist the Marathon Dance team pull off this incredible feat. We are absolutely thrilled to kick off our 2022 season at Six Flags Great Escape by  partnering with SHMD again.”

Due to the continuing health concerns associated with the pandemic, the Marathon Dance board of directors considered various options on how to present SHMD 2022, according to the release, which stated that many options were evaluated and public health was at the forefront of the decision regarding this year’s location. “The decision was easier this year, as much of the deliberation and planning is a repeat of what occurred last year. Space limitations within an indoor environment, indoor air as compared to outdoor air, challenges associated with arranging sufficient outdoor tent covering, and lack of ability to have all participants on the same footprint simultaneously, and other challenges, contributed to the decision to again move the event away from the Senior High School.”

Furthermore, The 2022 dance will be a single-day event. While it was initially hoped the event could return to the first full weekend in March, the SHMD board of directors decided it is prudent to again move the annual Marathon Dance event back two months in order to provide the best opportunity to stage a successful and safe event, the release shared. Unlike the traditional Marathon Dance event which goes for 28 hours, the 45th annual event shall commence on the morning of Friday, May 13 and will end later that evening. While primary event activity will take place under four large pavilions and catering building in the Northwoods Picnic Grove at Six Flags Great Escape, SHMD will have exclusive use of the park.

At this time, it is unknown if the event will be open to the public or SHMD supporters. Six Flags Great Escape will work collaboratively with event organizers in the upcoming weeks to create a dynamic program and schedule. In the early years of the marathon dance, the event was not open to the public. Unlike the early years, however, SHMD 2022 will again integrate a live broadcast to bring the spirit of SHMD beyond the physical boundaries of the event to supporters near and far.

Regarding safety, the South High Marathon Dance will work in partnership with the South Glens Falls Central School District, Six  Flags Great Escape, Warren County, and others to ensure event plans meet or exceed minimum public health requirements. The spacious property of Six Flags Great Escape, coupled with SHMD’s exclusive use, provides flexibility to enable compliance with appropriate public health requirements and allow various opportunities for the program to take place throughout the park.

Rules on vaccination status and/or testing for participants and event staff will be developed in concert with school officials, Six Flags Great Escape and Warren County. Additional health practices including social distancing, mask-wearing, and more will be determined as the date gets closer. Plans for the event are subject to change based on future state and local public health guidance and requirements.

More information about the 2022 South High Marathon Dance is available online at www.SHMD.org and www.facebook.com/SHMDInc as well as @shmdnow on Twitter and Instagram.

Gus Carayiannis photo

The South High Marathon Dance raises funds for individuals, families and charitable organizations in the area who are experiencing monetary hardship or emotional distress due to life-changing serious, long-term medical or sudden catastrophic events. (File photo)

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Originally Appeared Here