The fall in Scottsdale is a special time — the weather is finally cooling down, Valley residents are back from their vacations, and the social calendar begins filling up.
From art walks to …
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The fall in Scottsdale is a special time — the weather is finally cooling down, Valley residents are back from their vacations, and the social calendar begins filling up.
From art walks to concerts at the Performing Arts Center, horse shows at WestWorld and a slew of other events, September and October mark what officials coined “shoulder season.”
“Scottsdale’s shoulder season of events usually begins in October,” said Karen Churchard, Scottsdale’s director of tourism and events.
Shoulder season will look drastically different this year, just like so many other things have, because of the pandemic. But some event producers seek a return to some normalcy as events calendars begin to dust off their cobwebs.
The calendar at WestWorld has slated Arizona Bike Week, Barrett-Jackson auto auction and equestrian events in the coming months. Meanwhile Scottsdale Arts is set to reopen Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts and Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art in Old Town Scottsdale with upcoming events scheduled as well.
“As you can imagine, a time like this with so much uncertainty, a lot of our agents and artists have booked, and re-booked, and canceled, and re-booked, and re-scheduled shows numerous times,” said Scottsdale Arts CEO Dr. Gerd Wuestemann. “I think we’ve probably rescheduled the better part of 150 shows for the coming year.”
But Dr. Wuestemann is glad the team went through the trials and tribulations.
“Because it means we are actually ready to have a great fall season for our audiences,” he said. “I like to say, we’re ready to step on the gas and add more to our roster if we can. If things hold up as they have, we’ve seen a couple of solid weeks here in Arizona of COVID, we’re also prepared to hit the breaks if we have to.”
At WestWorld, 16601 N. Pima Road, 15 events were dislocated from March to May, General Manager Brian Dygert says.
“We are still working on rescheduling options within the remaining six months of 2020 as well as looking at 2021,” Mr. Dygert said. “We have been reopened since mid-May to date with enhanced protocols and practices. We are also experiencing another five events canceling through October 2020.”
Mr. Dygert says this year is unlike years past, but the goal for everyone is the same: to have a good event that is safe for everyone.
“We are seeing a reshuffling of the calendar, a different booking of event activity with different practices for attendees,” Mr. Dygert said.
Safety protocols and a strict adherence to health guidelines is a shared practice among Scottsdale’s event facilities.
“For events over 50 people, we have created an administrative process, which requires a written public health and safety operations plan that details the measures and protocols the event producer is implementing as part of the event logistics,” Ms. Churchard said.
“The safety plan needs to incorporate (Centers for Disease Control) guidelines, (Arizona Department of Health Services) guidelines, state mandates and local requirements. This plan is reviewed by both police and fire departments and must receive approval for holding an event of more than 50 people at all city venues — Westworld, Scottsdale Stadium, Civic Center, airport, Scottsdale Sports Complex — along with any requests for special event permits within city boundaries.”
With safety protocols in place, Scottsdale residents can look forward to:
A new museum exhibit when Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art reopens;
Arizona Bike Week;
Maricopa Home Show;
Off-Road Expo;
Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction;
The Arabian Breeder Finals;
Canal Convergence.
At this time, all events are subject to change as officials monitor the pandemic.
A semi-return to normalcy
During the summer, both physical power and brain power have gone into considering how to provide Scottsdalians with events and entertainment in a safe manner.
“The thought, planning and additional resources is extensive and daily,” Mr. Dygert said of the planning that’s gone into WestWorld’s fall season.
“The hardest thing is trying to predict and plan with changing guidelines and orders that are changing weekly in both directions. All events go through a city of Scottsdale oversight and approval process. Each event producer is required to submit plans for distancing, health practices along with touchless processes.”
Dr. Wuestemann says at Scottsdale Arts masks will be worn, social distancing will be enforced and the capacity will be limited within their two venues Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts and Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. He predicts only 40% to 50% of the facility’s capacity will be sold to limit guests; and at the museum, entries will be timed to limit patrons.
Also, with the help of the city, ultraviolet filtration systems are being installed to HVAC system, Dr. Wuestemann noted.
“We are starting with small events at the very end of August, just to get back into the swing of utilizing the facilities, small groups where we can control access and distancing,” Dr. Wuestemann explained.
Throughout this stay-at-home period, local artists have streamed concerts online, and virtual art tours have been hosted.
“We hosted weekly blog posts — everything from behind-the-scenes looks, getting to know some of our local artists better, a public art tour, to streaming performances — we have now a whole library of amazing events that are available from our website at any given time so people can really dig into those and explore at their leisure.”
Dr. Wuestemann looks forward to October, which is when he says Scottsdale Arts will really hit its stride after having a slow rollout of events in September.
“In September, in the latter part of the shoulder season, we’ll start with in-person concerts with local performers at the center,” Dr. Wuestemann says.
“In early October is when we are really planning to hit our stride. We will be launching our full-fledge fall season with a series of performances by Flamenco Intimo.”
Canal Convergence is still slated to happen this fall, but it will be much different from years past.
Scottsdale Arts Senior Communications Specialist Brian Passey says artworks will likely be spread around Old Town, and in locations where it’s possible to drive by and social distance.
“I think when we go through a crisis like this, the arts become incredibly important,” Dr. Wuestemann said. “I think many of us are looking for things that really enlighten us again,and delight us and give us some fun and joy. I’m really thrilled this organization can offer a lot of that for our community.”
Melissa Rosequist Managing Editor | East Valley @mrosequist_
I first started my journalism portfolio at the age of 15 while in high school before going on to study at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Being in the journalism field is the only professional avenue I was ever interested in, and have worked hard covering topics from school boards to hard news while working for the Independent, where I have been awarded for my reporting.
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