Major Sacramento events canceled: 4 arena shows postponed; Harris Center empties calendar
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Sacramento’s St. Patrick’s Day parade was canceled. The Mondavi Center at UC Davis scrapped all events through the end of the month. Republic FC soccer games have been suspended for 30 days.
Golden 1 Center postponed four concerts, including shows by Celine Dion and Cher, and Folsom’s Harris Center canceled every show through the end of March. Cal Expo canceled a boat and RV show and postponed Comic-Con.
Hours after Gov. Gavin Newsom urged people to avoid groups of more than 250 people during the coronavirus crisis, the region was hit with a wave of event cancellations and postponements ranging from cherished civic traditions to winery tastings.
The 24th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade, which typically draws tens of thousands of people to the Old Sacramento waterfront, was one of the first to cancel Thursday, followed by a cascade of others.
“Out of respect for the health and safety of our campus and community of arts lovers, as of today the Mondavi Center is canceling all public events through March 31,” the center said.
“Ticket holders for the affected events have been contacted, and refunds are in progress. Due to the high call volume we are experiencing in our Ticket Office, we encourage patrons to visit our website for updated information on cancellations.”
Republic FC soccer games will be suspended for at least 30 days, according to a United Soccer League announcement. And the California Interscholastic Federation canceled the rest of the CIF State Basketball Championships, including title games set for this weekend at Golden 1 Center.
“This decision was made after careful deliberation and in the primary interest of protecting the health and safety of our member schools, fans, and most importantly, our student-athletes,” CIF said in a statement. “While we understand this decision is disappointing, we strongly believe that the opportunity to compete in this event does not outweigh our obligation to place the health and safety of our member schools and school communities above all else.”
CIF said refunds will be made available at the original point of purchase.
The Harris Center scrapped the rest of its March schedule, starting with Thursday’s “The Mikado,” an appearance by a Siberian orchestra Saturday and country singer Ronnie Milsap March 19. The Folsom venue said all ticket buyers will get refunds.
Golden 1 Center postponed the V101 Heart of Hip-Hop concert set for March 28. The show, to feature artists such as Xzibit, will be rescheduled at a later date, but ticket holders will be offered refunds. The arena’s website showed that a March 25 show with Nickelodeon pop star JoJo Siwa was rescheduled to June 14. The May 6 show with Cher was postponed until Oct. 14, and Celine Dion’s April 7 show has been postponed indefinitely.
The future of other non-sports events at Golden 1 remained unclear. Officials there did not respond to requests for comment on how scheduled events will be handled.
Other big events scheduled for Golden 1 include former first lady Michelle Obama, who’s promoting her memoir “Becoming,” on April 1; and Grammy Award-winning pop star Billie Eilish, whose April 8 show is sold out. There was no immediate word on the status of those events, although Eilish announced on Twitter that she was postponing shows through the end of March.
Obama already has canceled a get-out-the-vote rally scheduled for March 27 in Detroit, part of a nonprofit group she co-chairs with, among others, coronavirus victims Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson.
Ryan Borba, managing editor at Pollstar, a concert-industry magazine published out of Fresno, said three major U.S. tours had been postponed earlier in the week: Pearl Jam, Zac Brown Band and country duo Dan + Shay.
“It’s really a harrowing period,” Borba said. “It’s been nuts.”
So far, most smaller musical events appear to be proceeding as scheduled. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, in Wheatland, plans to present country musician Chad Bushnell in concert Friday night, said casino president Mark Birtha.
The St. Patrick’s Day parade in Old Sacramento typically can draw up to 40,000 people and organizers said the decision not to stage it this year is a disappointment for businesses but necessary to keep people safe.
‘It’s a hit, quite frankly, when you have that many people there,” said Emilie Cameron, spokeswoman for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership and the parade sponsor. “It does create an impact (on businesses), so there’s no denying that.
“The businesses will continue to be open and the public should continue to adhere to the Department of Public Health guidelines, but businesses will be open and so whether it’s restaurants or bars or others, those opportunities still exist.”
Republic soccer officials said Thursday they will provide more information “in the coming days ... about tickets for impacted home games (March 25th, March 29th, and April 8th US Open Cup match), and additional schedule dates as soon as possible.”
What about downtown, libraries, casinos?
Businesses in the downtown area already are bracing from the suspension of the NBA season and Sacramento Kings games at the Golden 1 Center, and can expect to be hit with other lost businesses from the NCAA’s decision to hold this week’s basketball tournament games there with only family and staff members in the audience.
The tournament will not be a total loss, Cameron said, noting that the teams and university staff still are attending and will be using hotels in the area.
“So while they will not have crowds in the arena they still have booked hotel rooms for the players,” she said. “There’s still ongoing activity.”
The governor’s office issued a statement late Wednesday saying that public health officials had decided that “gatherings should be postponed or canceled across the state until at least the end of March.”
“Non-essential gatherings must be limited to no more than 250 people, while smaller events can proceed only if the organizers can implement social distancing of 6 feet per person,” Newsom’s office said. “Gatherings of individuals who are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 should be limited to no more than 10 people, while also following social distancing guidelines.”
The governor’s statement has left entities ranging from casinos to universities to libraries grappling with how to respond to the pandemic.
Sacramento Public Library Director Rivkah Sass said the library is discussing how to move forward with regular program events and story time for children at branches.
“We’re torn for being there for people and doing our best to keep everyone as safe as we can in this ever-changing environment,” she wrote. “Teen programming is apparently still keeping kids involved.
“Thankfully we do not have any large events scheduled for weeks and will continue to monitor.”
Sass, interviewed by phone from Jordan as she was traveling, said the library was intent on keeping people safe while continuing to provide as many regular services as possible, including after-school meals served at eight locations.
The library serves 25,000 meals a year, she said, and must work through the coronavirus crisis to help people, especially parents whose kids are out of school and need a place to go.
“It really is that balance between being open and providing services for people who need them,” she said.
Sass said the library will suspend outreach and programming until March 31, and plan to resume April 1, and also will suspend community room use.
“We will stop taking reservations and contact those who have the rooms reserved and reinforce recommendations by CDC, local and state government,” she said.
Mobile services will operate on a limited basis but will not be going to assisted living homes to protect vulnerable patrons.
“We are also being very liberal about fines in case people are reluctant to return materials right now,” she added.
Thunder Valley Casino Resort in Lincoln, where thousands of gamblers gather to play various games and slots, also is “currently assessing the situation” following the governor’s announcement, spokesman Doug Elmets said, and already has taken precautions.
“We’ve got signage at all of the entrances, we have anti-bacterial stations,” Elmets said. “We’ve reinforced the number of maintenance staff cleaning the machines and chairs.”
Courts assess what to do
Sacramento Superior Court officials have a task force that has been meeting daily to assess operations at its court buildings and have prepared if potential jurors need a hardship excuse because of illness or health conditions that may put them at peril, spokeswoman Kim Pedersen said.
So far, no potential jurors have said they needed excuses because of coronavirus, but officials also are telling defendants and lawyers to notify court if they need postponements.
“Presently, the court is running business as usual,” she said. “We are advising folks if they are summoned they should contact the court and ask their counsel for a continuance and not come to court (if they are sick),” she said.
About 1,500 people a day pass through the metal detectors at the main courthouse downtown, and court officials have met with county health officers and expanded use of anti-bacterial wipes inside the jail, which houses courtrooms and visiting stations where inmates can talk to visitors on phones through plexiglass shields.
Still, Pedersen acknowledged there are limits to how recommendations for social distancing of 6 feet between people can be implemented inside courtrooms or courthouses.
At the courtrooms inside the Main Jail, for instance, the hallways can easily be jammed shoulder to shoulder with defendants, lawyers, reporters and spectators, especially for high-profile cases. That is likely to be the case Thursday afternoon, when Golden State Killer/East Area rapist suspect Joseph James DeAngelo is due for a court hearing.
Sac State, Speaker Series, Cal Expo, Food Bank fundraiser
At Sac State, officials said Thursday that it was planning to have classes taught online starting Friday through May 14.
“Face-to-face instruction will remain for certain courses not conducive to online learning, such as performing and theater arts, labs and clinicals,” Sac State said. “The campus will remain open, including residence halls, dining services, the WELL, Student Health and Counseling Services, the Academic Information Resource Center, University Library, and University Union.”
Cal Expo announced that two separate shows set to run Thursday through Sunday, a boat show and the spring RV show, were canceled. A quilt and craft festival scheduled for March 19-21 was postponed to Oct. 1-3. Sac Comic-Con, scheduled for March 22, will be held June 7. Harness racing will go on as scheduled Friday and Saturday nights but will be closed to the public.
California’s iconic wineries also were not immune to the effects of the virus.
Amador County wineries canceled their annual Four Fires Festival, a wine-and-food event set for May 2 at the county fairgrounds.
Jack Gorman, executive director of the Amador Vintners trade association, said ticket sales were dropping off and the wineries were leery of committing to heavy expenses, such as tent rentals and glass purchases, in light of the coronavirus scare.
“It’s become our flagship event,” he said.
Separately, Helwig Winery in Plymouth canceled its Mother’s Day brunch and a series of Friday night dinners scheduled for later this month and April. And in Napa County, promoters canceled the annual Taste of Yountville festival.
Other events affected include:
▪ The Sacramento Speaker Series canceled next Wednesday’s speech by National Geographic photographer and marine biologist Paul Nicklen, which was scheduled for Memorial Auditorium.
▪ River City Food Bank postponed its annual Empty Bowls fundraiser, scheduled for next Monday and Tuesday at the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium.
▪ The state Department of Food and Agriculture canceled Ag Day 2020, an annual celebration of farming at the Capitol set for next Wednesday. The agency also scrapped its annual “bring your child to work day,” also set for next Wednesday.
▪ The Sacramento Press Club postponed a lunch discussion March 30 on AB 5, the controversial “gig economy” law. Scheduled speakers included the bill’s main author, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez and California labor leader Art Pulaski.
▪ Some Sacramento Little Leagues, including those in Oak Park and Tahoe Tallac, delayed the start of the season to April 6, as recommended by Little League International. Land Park Pacific was still considering its options but already canceled its traditional Opening Day parade through Land Park.
▪ Yacht Rock Revue, a rock band, postponed its show Thursday night at the Ace of Spades nightclub in midtown Sacramento.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and county supervisors board chair Phil Serna said they are on board with the governor’s safety measures.
“Our top priority needs to be to curtail the spread of this virus,” Steinberg said. “We are working with the county and our health systems to prepare calmly for the inevitable increase in the number of people who will test positive, and we are evaluating how to best assist residents and businesses affected by cancellations and closures.
“There is no need to panic. We will be prepared and get through this together.”
Serna said county officials are looking at whether they should postpone public meetings.
“I’m working closely with our executive personnel to determine which adjustments, if any, we need to make when it comes to public meetings held in our facilities, including hearings of governing bodies,” Serna said.
