Wooden spoon craftsman Gregg Kristophel would have been one of the artisans participating in the Harmony Christmas Kickoff. The event was canceled Thursday.

Harmony's replacement Christmas event has been canceled as a result of an uptick of county COVID-19 cases.

The Harmony Christmas Kickoff, which supplanted its already-canceled Weihnachtsmarkt, will not take place Nov. 14, Harmony Museum President Rodney Gasch said Thursday.

The event, which would have featured a number of artisans who typically attended the Weihntachtsmarkt, glühwein and hot apple cider in commemorative mugs, was expected to be an outdoor event in historic Harmony from noon to 5 p.m. Nov. 14.

“Even though it was an outdoor event, with a preponderance of caution for all involved we and the Harmony Business Association decided that it would be best to cancel the event,” Gasch said.

Cases of COVID-19 have risen from 1,846 in the county Monday to 2,002 Thursday, the highest rate of increase since the pandemic's spring beginning.

This is a breaking news report.