Group cites religious exemption for McCreery benefit concert
A local Christian group is standing by its decision to hold an indoor charity concert Thursday night with country music star and Garner native Scotty McCreery.
Community of Hope Ministries is a Garner-based organization that assists at-risk children and families, and the concert was to raise money for its remote learning and afterschool tutoring programs, Executive Director Amy White said Friday.
An estimated 150 people attended the dinner and concert at The Pavilion at Carriage Farm in southern Wake County, which has a capacity of over 300.
Kelly Haight Connor, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health and Human Services, said events at indoor entertainment venues are limited to 100 people or 30 percent of capacity, whichever is less, under pandemic restrictions issued by Gov. Roy Cooper.
White said the event was religious in nature, making it exempt from such restrictions on gatherings.
Still, she said, McCreery insisted on various safety protocols, so guests, kitchen workers and wait staff all wore masks, tables were spaced and were reserved for families or groups of people who normally spend time together and hand sanitizer stations were place throughout the venue.
"An amazing, kind and generous local hometown boy gave his gifts to really help an organization help needy children in our community, and we did our best to honor and follow and comply with the governor's requirements and really feel like we went over and above board," White said.
The Wake County Sheriff's Office received a call about the concert, but spokesman Eric Curry said no citations were issued because, when deputies arrived at The Pavilion at Carriage Farm, the event was over and people were leaving.
The county health department was unaware of the event but began looking into it on Friday, spokeswoman Leah Holdren said.
"It’s always discouraging when we see large gatherings indoors. Science has shown that the spread of the virus is much greater indoors, and the more people that are gathered, the more easily it can spread. We encourage all residents to avoid these types of gatherings," Holdren said in an email.
