FRYFest Canceled For 2020
FRYFest, the annual event in Iowa City celebrating the opening of Iowa's football season, has been canceled for 2020.
Iowa's season opener was going to be Sept. 5 against Northern Iowa, but the Big Ten announced on Thursday that it would be going to a conference-only schedule for all fall sports. A new schedule for the Hawkeyes is expected to be announced next week.
FRYFest was set for Sept. 4 in Coralville.
The decision to cancel the event came Friday.
“The decision to cancel FRYfest this year is incredibly difficult,” Monica Nieves, vice president of special events for Think Iowa City, said in a statement. “We were hopeful that FRYfest would be an opportunity to bring our community back together after a challenging summer of cancellations. The continued health concerns related to COVID-19 pandemic has forced our hand to cancel.”
Iowa will lose three nonconference home games — the one against UNI, plus the Sept. 12 game against Iowa State and the Sept. 26 game against Northern Illinois — because of the Big Ten's decision. The Hawkeyes were scheduled to play four home conference games, with five on the road.
The new schedule is expected to be 10 conference games — five home and five road.
FRYFest has been held annually since 2009.
The Big Ten said that by limiting itself to league games only, "the Conference will have the greatest flexibility to adjust its own operations throughout the season and make quick decisions in real-time based on the most current evolving medical advice and the fluid nature of the pandemic."
“We fully support the actions being taken by the Big Ten Conference, knowing that the health, safety, and wellness of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff is the top priority," Iowa athletics director Gary Barta said in a statement. "The past few months have entailed numerous conversations between my conference colleagues, Commissioner Warren and our Big Ten presidents, as we have worked to navigate the challenges associated with this pandemic.
