Anonymous
Photo: Fritz Olenberger
Source: CCP
With the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty as to when the community can safely gather again, the Children’s Creative Project (CCP) made the very difficult decision to cancel the 2020 I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival scheduled for May 23-25, 2020. This annual event brings 25,000 people together to enjoy the spectacular street paintings created with chalk pastels on pavement by artists of all ages, live music, and Italian food at the Santa Barbara Old Mission.
“While we are all missing the loss of ‘normal,’ it is important to follow state and local recommendations regarding group gatherings and do our part to continue to slow the spread of this virus,” said CCP Executive Director Kathy Koury. “We look forward to presenting our festival again during the Memorial Day weekend in 2021.”
“The Children’s Creative Project provides dynamic arts programming for 50,000 students in schools up and down Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties,” said Santa Barbara County Superintendent of Schools Susan Salcido. “Our students and school communities look forward to experiencing the vibrant performances, school-based arts education, and hands-on workshops once campuses are re-opened.”
The festival is the annual fundraiser for the Children’s Creative Project, a non-profit arts education program of the Santa Barbara County Education Office, which provides visual and performing arts education in schools throughout Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. During the 2018-19 school year, 50,000 students received arts education in 107 schools, resident artist workshops in dance, theater, vocal music, and visual arts were offered in 88 schools, and 550 multicultural performances were presented in 95 schools.
This is the first time in its 33-year history the festival has been canceled.
I haven’t been to Fiesta in over 10 years. Just too crowded, pandemic or not. I do miss seeing the horses, but I celebrate at home. I’m actually a damn good cook. My chili rellenos are the best.
12:59, large gatherings will not be cancelled for years! Social distancing is not going to be normal from now on. Life is going to return to normal soon. The virus will fade away once enough people get it and recover to achieve herd immunity. The longer we drag out this process, the more destructive it will be.
12:59 – It’s not “okay” for athletes, musicians, artists, all their support staff, or anyone else who relies on large events for their living. You probably have no idea how many people that truly is.
From everything I’ve read and heard this could very well be the case with any large event. Chip really seems to have alternate reality about this virus.
Well this should be interesting….. Trump just announced that the state governors can allow public events before the target date of May 1. It’s now up to the individual states to decide when they want to go back to work and school and other activities. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/16/us/coronavirus-cases-live-updates.html?campaign_id=60&emc=edit_na_20200416&instance_id=0&nl=breaking-news&ref=headline®i_id=55007874&segment_id=25338&user_id=112c8fafe0d7a637dd4bd3bc04fbf66a
CHIP, I said months if not years (as in, over one year), not just years. We shall see. I agree that much of life WILL return to normal sooner rather than later, but that does not include large events and won’t for a long time. Social distancing will be in effect for a long time, even once non-essential businesses reopen. We cannot have herd immunity immediately, I agree we DO need the virus to spread, but spread slooowly enough to avoid overrunning hospitals. There are plenty of projections showing what will happen (massive case spikes) if we open back up too quickly. Easy does it, we will get there.
CHIP, I agree with you on dragging this out. I think people should have been free to go about life as usual, and accept the casualties, or get locked down with serious enforcement for 14 days. The in-between thing is pointless.
By law, it’s always been up to the individual states, so that’s a null announcement.
@1:17 – That’s why we have heavily padded unemployment right now. If you were working legitimately before, you will have money put in your pocket to survive through this disaster. If you were not working or working illegitimately and aren’t eligible for unemployment, the Food Bank and other charities will make sure you are fed and clothed. Evictions are a non-issue right now. Medi-cal health insurance is available, and the health insurance exchanges are open. Small business owners are pretty screwed on the business front, but individually, we will be provided for.
Thank goodness that we live in California with a governor that believes in data and science.
Then find a way to get people to stay home for 14 days. This could all be over before you can binge-watch your favorite shows. But people won’t stay home, so there you go.
@FREAK – That’s not a solution, and really just prolongs the problem. We need controlled spread of the virus to get to herd immunity, not zero spread or complete spread – slow, controlled spread. Think about it: you and another person are quarantined. The other person has COVID19 symptoms and is contagious. You aren’t infected until day 10, let’s say. Quarantine over day 14, and you’re back out in public spreading the virus. Whoops. 14-day total quarantine is only a pause button, it will not solve anything.
Actually, Macpuzl, it’s significant, as can be seen by the wide news coverage it’s getting now. By “law” yes, the states always had that right, but this is different. This will encourage red states to follow their voters’ protests and result in reopening before it’s safe. That is the concern here.
At 01:54 PM: I see your point, but you’re rejecting my 100% 14-day quarantine, which I agree is unattainable. So let it go and get to heard immunity as quickly as possible. It will suck, but hopefully it will kill off a lot of idiots. As far as vaccine, you’re betting that this thing doesn’t mutate, which it clearly does if it can jump from bats to humans. Are you a biochemist with years of research in nucleic acids? I am.
an interesting phrase there…. “believes in science”
what a vague catch-all statement … could just as easily be applied to this virus situation..
and who deems what is useful or important? every person, every day. or are you one of those types that thinks “the only viable solution is 100% tracking”…which leads right to socialist totalitarian nonsense.
You know for sure that if Trump or anybody in his immediate family contracted a nasty case of Covid-19 his yapping that this is all a bunch of Fake News hooey would cease “yesterday!” He’s the perfect example of a hypocritical president. Yikes!
but this event is nothing like fiesta…
in fact, they could have put on the event in a totally “new normal, social distancing” fashion by spreading it out over a longer period than just a weekend… give the artists space to work far apart… someone could have rigged up drones and done virtual tours….
all the musems are closed, a dose of art might help all those with death anxiety. but no it’s just .. not happening at all. nobody is allowed to have any fun.
3:28 – don’t get our hopes up!
He has no authority on this. I guess he can make helpful suggestions?
It’s official, Solstice parade/festivities are cancelled. https://keyt.com/lifestyle/events/2020/04/16/no-street-party-but-the-summer-solstice-festival-goes-virtual-for-2020/
We all know a current U.S. president who does not believe or respect science due to having to stay loyal to his gut., and what a gut that is. Ooof!
If they’re cancelling an outdoor activity that isn’t scheduled for over a month out, you can bet Solstice will be done too. I have to say this is getting a little ridiculous. We can’t keep canceling and closing every business, event, school, activity, etc. This virus won’t have a cure for a LONG time. If that is the milestone for getting back to “normal,” then we need to figure out a way to adapt. We seem to be just giving up and taking the easy way with all this. Shut it down, cancel it, close it. How about, evolve and adapt and try to live life again?
Canceling *large* events IS evolving and adapting. It will be months if not years until we all go to a large gathering again, be it a concert, graduation, parade, or chalk festival. And that is okay! We’ll make it through!
Really folks?!..
You’re being upset about something that at one time,didn’t even exist in SB!..
Now, suddenly your “right” to party is compromised & people are crying.
It’s called a “World-wide Pandemic” for a reason ya know.
And life WILL go on..with or without you or your precious events, that have zero bearing on the big picture.
I still have a leg full of shrapnel & a bullet in my back..AND developed cancer for my contribution to the country, it’s concepts..& YOU.
Stop your crying & stiffen your lip.
For the most part, you’d have to admit that Trump made a lot of good decisions, which saved and is saving plenty of lives. Two weeks ago it was projected that definitely/for sure 100-300 thousand people were going to die from this virus. Didn’t happen. Why? Trump’s decisions and our compliance with those decisions, and a LOT of hard work by hospital and first responders. Thank you to those of you who are saving lives!