The Metro Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame will host its annual induction banquet this fall after being postponed in 2020 because of COVID-19.

The banquet is set for Sept. 22 when the Class of 2020, which includes 12 inductees, will be inducted at the Shrine Club. There will not be a 2021 class, in order to honor last year’s class, which didn’t have a banquet.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2020 was announced in April of 2020. It includes Yevet Anderson, Kevin Flowers, Scott Gorring, Jim Hamilton, Khyl Horton, Tom Jakubowski, Erin Kerner, Mike Maggio, Joe Spano, Clarence Stoner, Brian Streeter and Jack Pikiewicz, who will be inducted posthumously.

The Hall of Fame induction banquet traditionally takes place in June each year, but with uncertainty over COVID protocols early in 2021, the Hall of Fame board decided to move the banquet to September.

“After discussion with the Board and input from those who are to be inducted, we felt that moving the banquet to September would allow us a better opportunity to host the event under safer conditions,” said board president Nancy Eisenman-Elwell. “Now, with the continued loosening of restrictions, we look forward to celebrating these new inductees at a nearly ‘back to normal’ event. It’s uplifting to see and appreciate the gradual return of life as we knew it.”

The chapter also holds an annual banquet for high school athletes to award scholarships. The chapter is happy to announce that all of the generous scholarship sponsors have agreed to fund this year’s scholarships, but there will not be a banquet. The scholarships will be presented to each student-athlete this summer.

One male athlete and one female athlete from each high school will receive a $400 scholarship sponsored by the Erie Chapter and the Vorsheck Family Foundation, and they are also considered for the major scholarships, including the TJ Guthleben Memorial Scholarship and the Marsha Marsh Community Service Award for female student-athletes and the Ron Costello Memorial Scholarship and the Erie Otters Brad Boyes Community Service Award for male student-athletes.