Haystack cancels 2020 program due to pandemic

DEER ISLE—The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts announced Tuesday that it canceled its 2020 program because of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

- LESLIE LANDRIGAN

The decision will prevent the annual influx of about 1,200 people from all over the world who ordinarily live and work together on Haystack’s remote 35-building campus.

Haystack made the announcement public Tuesday afternoon, March 31, just hours before Maine Gov. Janet Mills ordered all Maine people to stay at home (see story on page 7 of this issue).

“It was a devastating decision to make,” Paul Sacaridiz, Haystack’s executive director, said in a phone interview. But, he said, they decided to suspend the program to keep people safe. “And I’m incredibly proud of that,” he said.

It’s a decision that will cost Haystack about $1 million, Sacaridiz said.