Coronavirus forces cancellation, rescheduling of many events here
The Silver Spur Rodeo Parade is a no-go, but fans may still be able to enjoy the thrills and spills of the rodeo, although later in the spring.
The Two Rivers Renaissance Faire has been canceled this year. So has the annual dinner theater production hosted by the Yuma Art Center to celebrate Valentines Day. So has the Midnight at the Oasis vintage car show.
The Tunes & Tacos Festival that typically takes place in April has been pushed back to September. The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, which brings together walkers who circle a track over a 24-hour period, will become a drive-through event.
And the Yuma Air Show has grounded for a second year in a row by COVID-19.
Given the uncertainly about when the coronavirus will be under control, organizers of the area’s popular events of late winter and spring have had to modify or scale back the shindigs, reschedule them or cancel them altogether, as part of efforts to minimize the spread of the virus.
Here’s an update of what’s happening and what’s not:
• The Two Rivers Renaissance Faire was set to take place at the Yuma County Fairgrounds Feb.
5-7. Not now.
“Sorry to say that we had to cancel the event for this year due to safety concerns and other factors caused by the pandemic,” said Jim Foster, who, with his wife, Desi, organizes the annual festival. “This was a tough decision for us to make, but we knew it was the right thing to do considering the circumstances. Our main concern is everyone’s health and safety, and a large event was not appropriate at this time.
“We are right now working on next year’s Faire. We’ll see everyone in 2022.”
• Scheduled the same weekend is Somerton Petpalooza, a celebration of pets and pet ownership. In past years, the event included such attractions as pet costume and pet tricks competitions, chihuahua races and a petting zoo. Returning Saturday at Council Avenue Park, it will be staged as a dog vaccination and licensing event only.
• The Yuma Jaycees’ Silver Spur Rodeo Parade, scheduled Feb. 13, has been canceled, though current plans call for the 76th annual rodeo to be pushed back to March or April, the Jaycees have announced.
“We are working closely with city officials to bring our fun, community event to Yuma County, all the while having a plan of action to keep our patrons, contestants and volunteers safe under the current COVID guidelines,” the Jaycees said in a statement. “We are hopeful we will be able to come to an agreement that is suitable for all involved and allow us to continue our tradition of rodeo in Yuma.”
• The Valentines Day dinner theater set to take place in the Yuma Art Center is off, owing to the coronavirus, said Lindsay Benacka, the city’s arts and culture program manager.
• Another Valentines Day event, the Yuma Orchestra Association’s Romantics Classics, also has been canceled, although the arts group still hopes to stage two orchestral performances later in the spring.
• The Mountain Shadows Artist Association Art Show, set for Feb. 12 and 13, has been canceled because of restrictions in place at the venue, the Foothills Library, to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
• The Caballeros de Yuma are proceeding with the Bull of the Desert strength competition as previously scheduled for Feb. 13. For more information about the event, visit the Caballeros web site, www.caballeros.org, or call 343-1715.
• The Scandinavian Festival, hosted by the Sons of Norway, Sola Lodge 6-168, has been canceled.
• The Hank Days Parade, honoring the Foothills and its founder, will take place as planned, getting underway at 10 a.m. Feb. 20 at Foothills Boulevard and 47th Street. Organizers, however, will forgo the barbecue and car show that were a part of previous year’s parades.
• Wellton Pioneer Day, celebrating the town’s founding, has been canceled.
• Somerton Greater Days, which marks that city’s founding, has been canceled, but the city will celebrate the milestone on its Facebook page. Throughout March, the city will share anecdotes about Somerton’s history in video interviews it will share, said Brissa Garcia, Somerton’s special events coordinator
“It will be (interviews of) city employees and we’ll also being doing (interviews of) residents who have lived all their lives in Somerton,” she said,
The city will also forego a previously planned Cinco de Mayo celebration in favor of planning for a Fourth of July celebration. “We’re working of the 4th of July, but we’re playing it by ear. We have a Plan A and a Plan B” for the celebration,” Garcia said.
• ArtTrails, hosted by the Mountain Shadows Artists Association, is slated to take place at art studios in the Foothills as previously scheduled, March 5-6.
• Midnight at the Oasis has been canceled.
• The Yuma Air Show at the Marine Air Station was the first casualty a year ago
as coronavirus cases began surfacing in Yuma. It is again canceled this year.
• Military Appreciation Day, hosted by the Yuma County Chamber of Commerce’s Military Affairs Committee, has been canceled.
• Rio de Cerveza Brew Fest has been canceled, the Yuma Visitors Bureau announced recently.
• ArtBEAT, a city of Yuma-sponsored event that allows artists to display their works for sale on Main Street, has been canceled.
• The Children’s Festival of the Arts, hosted annually by the city of Yuma to allow kids to dabble in artsy projects in a one-day event on Main Street, was previously moved back from last November to April. 10. It’s still scheduled to place, says Benacka, though it will be a drive-through event still in the planning.
• American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life is tentatively slated to take place April 17, though it will be staged as a drive-through event allowing the Yumans to see the luminarias from their car in the Desert Sun Stadium parking lot.
“We will still be honoring our survivors and those we lost to cancer.” said event chair Amber Thornton.
• The Tunes & Taco Festival, which was to be hosted at Desert Sun Stadium by the city and Caballeros de Yuma, has been postponed till September, the Caballeros office said.