The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Willoughby ArtsFest to go virtual
Visitors to website can make purchases, enjoy music, demos
The 2020 Willoughby ArtsFest scheduled for Aug. 29 has been canceled and will now be held virtually.
In the end, another live one did bite the dust.
The 2020 Willoughby ArtsFest scheduled for Aug. 29 has been cancelled and will now be held virtually Aug. 28–30 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Traditionally held in downtown Willoughby, the event, in its 29th year, will be take place on the ArtsFest’s website.
The action comes in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic, which is responsible for the postponement, if not outright cancellation, of dozens of area programs, festivals, arts and theater performances, and sporting events and social gatherings.
Making the live ArtsFest, which was also moved back from its original July date, a virtual event was a difficult decision, but the best one for the safety of the juried artists, sponsors downtown businesses, volunteers and visitors, said Karen Tercek, president and CEO of the Willoughby Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce.
“The safety of people was our priority,” she added. “As I have mentioned to others, the Willoughby Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce wants to be part of the solution, not the problem.
“The good news is that the Artsfest committee led by Bill Rigo and Nicole Gardner, and the Willoughby Western Lake County Chamber of Commerce staff, moved quickly to convert the live event to an amazing visual, virtual platform for an entire weekend.”
Visitors to the website will be able to make purchases from their favorite downtown Willoughby artists, enjoy streaming live music, take in art demonstrations and more.
Interested artists and potential
Visitors to the website will be able to make purchases from their favorite downtown Willoughby artists, enjoy streaming live music, take in art demonstrations and more.
sponsors can also sign up on the ArtsFest website to participate.
In the past month, the chamber has had over 4,000 visitors connect on the ArtsFest website and that number is expected to continue to grow as the day of the event approaches, Tercek noted.
“Immediately after shutdown, we recognized our business members were going to be looking for support and answers,” she said. “We set up our Zoom account and started providing webinars on how to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans, and also webinars on best practices for cleaning and protecting employees and customers from COVID-19. In addition, we have continued to survey our members to make sure we are able to best address the needs of the majority of our 540 members with the current challenges.
“Right now, as you might know, Lake County is holding tight,” Tercek said. “Not sure where the COVID-19 numbers are going yet, so we continue to offer virtual events as the Lake County General Health District is not encouraging any gatherings over 10 people.
“It has been a real hit to our budget but we are hopeful that by spring of next year we will be able to provide the live programs and events, in addition to our many other benefits and resources, as we did prior to COVID-19.”
For more information, visit www.willoughbyartsfest.com.