Some 14 months after the COVID-19 pandemic began in earnest in the United States, our country and our communities are seemingly returning to somewhat normal as social events and community activities return albeit with some sort of pandemic restriction, limitation or safety requirements while vaccinations increase to about 38.57% of the population.
The first of the major events to return were the Verde Valley Fair, which kicked off late last month in Cottonwood at the Verde Valley Fairgrounds and the Pecan & Wine Festival at the town park in Camp Verde, notwithstanding an increase in the number of face masks worn by some attendees.
Outdoor events are generally considered safer, because the outdoor environment makes it hard for concentrated exposure. The COVID-19 virus thrives encased inside a body, but rarely survives long when exposed to the ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
A study from the Journal of Infectious Diseases showed 90% of infectious virus was inactivated every 6.8 minutes in simulated saliva when exposed to simulated sunlight and even faster when on a surface.
For the most part, Verde Valley Fair crowds kept somewhat of a distance even when waiting in a queue either due to a year’s worth of social distance or just by design of being at a fair.
The city of Sedona opened its immensely popular splash pad at Sunset Park at the beginning of May, with dozens of children at the park at any one time — including my daughter, who demands to go to the splash park as many times per week as her father used to go to Sedona bars before she was born. We both get sloshed.
The 2020 Sedona International Film Festival concluded immediately before COVID-19 emerged as the threat it became and the 2021 festival scheduled for Feb. 20 to 28 was delayed this year until Saturday to Sunday, June 12 to 20.
It should be returning relatively normally, although during the summer it’ll be in far warmer weather. As someone who has attended the festival events every year since I moved here nearly two decades ago, it will be interesting to see how the summertime night galas might increase the number of people who possibly attend because the weather won’t be terribly terrifyingly cold.
Interviewing a filmmaker or producer or celebrity is never fun when you can see your breath.
The city of Sedona is also resuming the Red Dirt Concerts at the Posse Grounds Pavilion at the Barbara Antonsen Memorial Park. The first band, scheduled on Friday, May 21, is The Invincible Grins, who were among the first casualties of musician cancellations in 2020 when the city of Sedona ended its scheduled Red Dirt Concert Series.
Led by the indefatigable guitarist Ray Reeves, The Invincible Grins are a band to not be missed.
While it is too late for the Sedona St. Patrick’s Parade and Festival, which was the first event Sedona officials canceled last year, other municipal-run and government-sponsored events in the Verde Valley may resume as near normal as per-pandemic, perhaps starting with this year’s Independence Day events.
If nothing else, the pandemic has demonstrated there is no shame in skipping out on an event because you might be sick. Pandemic risks aside, face masks for those feeling ill or in crowds may just become part of the American landscape going forward with some people wearing them to protect their health in the same way others may wear sunglasses or broad-brimmed hats or suntan lotion.
Numerous other summer and autumn events look like they are shaping up to resume, but we’ll have to wait and see which events get delayed, which occur as scheduled and which choose to mitigate pandemic risks with some sort of modification.
With so many events delayed or rescheduled this past year, and many residents just naturally expecting events not to happen, we strongly encourage organizers to communicate with us early about their plans so we can promote their events to our readers. We want our communities to return to normal as much as anyone.
We also suggest organizers also contact our Advertising Department at 282-7795 Ext. 114 or by email to klarson@larsonnewspapers.com to begin working on promotion strategies.
Christopher Fox Graham
Managing Editor
