See kids return to Fairytale Town as stay-at-home order lifted for Sacramento

The end of the regional coronavirus stay-at-home order had a magical effect in Sacramento on Thursday, as the sound of kids playing returned to popular Sacramento landmark Fairytale Town in William Land Park.

“Today is a very happy day at Fairytale Town,” said Kevin Smith-Fagan, the park’s executive director. “We continue to reopen under pretty strict COVID protocols. It’s a big plus that we are outdoors, of course.”

Fairytale Town closed about a month ago when the regional stay-at-home order went into effect, but it can be open along with other outdoor venues while Sacramento County is in the purple tier. It has implemented a number of coronavirus safety protocols.

Sacramento resident Michelle Giuffrida said it was an opportunity for her daughter Belle James, almost 3, to try new things.

“The last time we came, it was pre-COVID and we hadn’t been on slides for so long that she was afraid to go down anything,” Giuffrida said.

Smith-Fagan said closures had been tough on Fairytale Town’s finances, which depend on gate revenue.

“It’s been pretty bleak,“ he said. “We’ve been able to weather it to a point, and individual contributions have helped a lot.”

He said that a planned story center — the first new building in the town’s history — has been slowed by the pandemic, but he still hopes for a late-2021 groundbreaking.

This story was originally published January 14, 2021 at 5:36 PM.