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The Maine Basketball Hall of Fame is among the most recent victims of the coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the United States and much of the world.
The organization has announced that its 2020 induction ceremony has been postponed and will instead be held in August 2021.
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“There were many factors contributing to our decision, all of them involving the Covid-19 virus and the necessary lead time our organization needs to prepare for the event,” the hall of fame said in a release. “We owe it to all involved to make a definitive decision rather than continue to wait and see or try to reschedule for this fall in the hope that by midsummer things return to normal.”
The Maine Basketball Hall of Fame had originally planned to induct 17 new honorees during ceremonies in August at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.
That storied group includes Lynn Bay, Sharon Bay, Andy Bedard, Arnold “Arnie” Clark, T.J. Caouette, Heidi Deery, Tony DiBiase, Gerry Duffy, Phil Faulkner, Ed Feeney, David Halligan, Elizabeth “Biz” Houghton, Gavin Kane, Ken Lynch, Chris Sawyer, Amy Vachon and Richard “Dickie” Whitmore Jr. have been selected for induction into the hall next summer.
“We apologize for any inconvenience to our inductees and their families, but they deserve a robust induction ceremony representing the honor and respect in which they are held by the Maine basketball community,” the organization said.
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