In our post-coronavirus Sacramento, will we go out and have fun together this year?
Listening to California Gov. Gavin Newsom speak on Tuesday, what became clear is we probably won’t see any more mass gatherings in California for this calendar year.
“The prospect of mass gatherings is negligible at best until we get to herd immunity and we get to a vaccine,” Newsom said. “So large-scale events that bring in hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of strangers altogether across every conceivable difference, health and otherwise, is not in the cards based upon our current guidelines and current expectations.
Those words strike at the heart of Sacramento’s identity and, unless circumstances change significantly, the city may lose a big part of its identity for the rest of 2020.
The state capital has become a city of festivals, summer concerts and farmers markets. The State Fair is an annual tradition. The Second Saturday Art Walk has lit the urban core for years. The same could be said for summer concerts at Cesar Chavez Plaza. The Sacramento River Cats and Sacramento Republic FC are local institutions and their games are rituals for thousands.
“The ability to celebrate large gatherings is a fundamental part of our community identity,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “That joy is temporarily removed. And it probably will be a long time before we can gather in large numbers.
The large events that seem unlikely to be staged in 2020 are significant for Sacramento. September’s Farm to Fork Festival draws 155,000 visitors over two days.
The Tower Bridge dinner draws 900 people and has generated excitement for and attention to Sacramento’s food and wine scene.
Aftershock, the Natomas-area rock festival in October that has grown into a monster event, is expecting 40,000 people a day for three days and this year boasts Metallica, its most exciting headliner yet.
We also have the Run to Feed the Hungry, the largest Thanksgiving charity run in America.
And the California International Marathon in December and the Old Sacramento Fireworks show on New Year’s Eve ... and this only a partial list.
A pandemic pushes us apart
None of these events has been canceled – yet. The COVID-19 pandemic has humbled us all and the narrative of how to contain it changes from hour to hour.
But with social distancing the centerpiece of fighting the coronavirus, it’s hard to imagine a short-term return to large gatherings where physical distance cannot be maintained or effectively regulated.
That means we may not have River Cats games before real crowds at Sutter Health Park in 2020.
Jeff Savage, president of the River Cats, said on Tuesday that he and his staff have already contemplated losing the entire 2020 baseball season.
“In light of the governor’s comments, if we have a baseball season it will be later in the year,” he said. “I’m still holding out hope like all of our employees. That’s the fan in me. But the businessman side of me says we need to start thinking what it looks like if we don’t have baseball.
Tuesday was supposed to be the River Cats home opener. Instead, the team hosted a live simulation of a game against their scheduled opening night opponents – the Tacoma Rainiers.
Earlier in the day, it had a hot dog give-away that drew a huge crowd.
“I handed out 975 hot dogs,” Savage said. “That tells me that people are clamoring to do something and get out of the house.
On Tuesday night at 6:35 pm, the River Cats hosted a live simulation of a game against their scheduled opening night opponents – the Tacoma Rainiers.
Still hope for outdoor events
When I asked Steinberg if even late-year events, such as Thanksgiving’s Run to Feed the Hungry, might go on this year, he said it is “doubtful.”
Large crowds lining the Run to Feed the Hungry trail through East Sacramento is a joyful celebration each year. The crowds make the event. The crowds project love and appreciation for runners who help raise money for the Sacramento Food Bank.
Organizers of all these events now face the real prospect of cancellations they hope to avoid.
“We’re going to Aftershock,” said Mike Testa, president and CEO of Visit Sacramento.
Testa said these words as we both talked about how much we want this event to happen. Held right off the Garden Highway exit on I-5, I’ve been thinking about Aftershock since last October. I think about it ever time I exit Garden Highway on the way to my gym.
“Aftershock is not only a major music festival,” Testa said. “It brings in 25,000 hotel (reservations) ... The economic impact is huge.”
Tourism in Sacramento has already been shut down by COVID-19. Testa said 75 percent of his staff has been furloughed and the other 25 percent has taken a 20 percent pay cut.
The Downtown Partnership, a coalition of downtown businesses that stages summer concerts and promotes the urban core, is also feeling the potential loss of mass gatherings this year.
“Obviously with today’s press conference we are evaluating our summer season,” said Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Partnership. “The unfortunate part is that these directly support the business community so we are trying to be thoughtful on how we move forward.
In a statement, the Kings said: “Our top priority remains everyone’s health and well being. We continue to work with the NBA as they review all options for return to play in consultation with public health officials and in line with governmental directives and guidance.”
Given Newsom’s words on Tuesday that were echoed by Steinberg, I guess I’d be surprised if we saw a Kings game before a live crowd at Golden 1 Center in 2020. If that happens, it would mean that the Downtown Commons around G1C, would be very quiet for the rest of this year and it would be sometime before it became the heart of an emerging downtown again.
It’s hard to imagine a summer with no State Fair, no River Cats games, no Republic matches, no farmers markets or summer concerts.
It’s sad to imagine the foot of the Tower Bridge empty in September when the Farm to Fork Festival promises to fill the area with people and activities. No Kings basketball for the rest of this year?
And it wouldn’t seem like Thanksgiving without the Run to Feed the Hungry.
We can hope these events go on in some form and it’s premature to write them off at his point. But given the governor’s words, it would be a surprise if we could gather for our annual rituals this year in Sacramento.
If that’s the case, we have to remember that it’s only temporary. We would be giving up events where we love to gather and celebrate community to keep our community safe.
But one day, we will gather again.
“I know this. We will have a festival celebration the likes of which we have never seen,” Steinberg said, “And we will never take for granted what it means to celebrate each family, friend and stranger alike.”
“Sacramento was on a tear, we were getting a lot of attention for what we were doing,” Testa said. “The momentum we had was incredible and a lot of us who built that momentum are going to rebuild it again... We’re going to be pushing hard to rebuild what COVID-19 has taken away from us.”
This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
