Looking for fun? You are largely on your own after county order forces cancellations
The city’s mask mandate last Friday coupled with the county’s 45-person limit on most large gatherings set off a cascade of cancellations and last-minute changes in the Wichita area.
In case you are wondering what happened to your favorite event, here’s a list of what you won’t be doing this weekend.
Automobilia
Automobilia Moonlight Charity Car Show, the free moonlight car shows scheduled for this Saturday evening in downtown Wichita, has been postponed after the city of Wichita on Tuesday refused to grant permits for the event because of COVID-19 concerns.
CEO Joshua Blick said he plans to reschedule the outdoor show, which attracts about 20,000 people and is billed as one of the largest car shows in Kansas. The show traditionally includes live music, food trucks, a live auction, activities for the kids and a nostalgic drag down Douglas.
Wichita Art Museum Bubbly Birthday Bash
The Art Museum’s free birthday bash with free ice cream, music and family-oriented activities always attracts a crowd. It quickly canceled Saturday’s Summer Birthday Bash/Renovation Celebration on Wednesday afternoon when the county announced a limit on mass gatherings.
The museum is still open to visitors, it just isn’t sponsoring the special event this Saturday.
Botanica
Botanica reopened its gardens on May 26, and since then, it’s been putting on many smaller group events.
The gardens will remain open regular business hours, and visitors will be asked to practice social distancing and wear masks.
But events that would attract more than 20 people are off for now.
The garden had been touting its July 7 start of the weekly Tuesdays on the Terrace concert series, and several other events were on the calendar for July, including Breakfast with Butterflies on July 8 and a Fairy Tea Party on July 25. Its Summer Nights Festival and Outdoor Movie event was set to run two consecutive Thursday nights — July 16 and 23.
“Due to the recent increase of COVID-19 cases in our community, we are taking precautionary measures to protect the public, our volunteers and staff by temporary suspending group activities,” read a statement on the venue’s website.
Smaller group events that draw fewer than 20 people, like Yoga in the Gardens and Nature Journaling, will continue as scheduled.
The Tuesdays on the Terrace shows are set to resume in August and run through September. People who had tickets for July shows can either use them for an August or September date or contact Botanica for a refund, a Botanica spokesman said.
Cowtown
The Old Cowtown Museum had one of the few remaining parties to celebrate Wichita’s 150th birthday but called it off on Wednesday. The popular Day of the Cowboy event, which was part of the birthday celebration, is also off. The July ghost hunt is still on, but no more tickets will be sold to that event. In fact, there are no special events listed on the Cowtown calendar until late August.
The living history museum at 1865 Museum Blvd. near Sim Park is still open, without the special events. Admission is free on Sundays.
Orpheum
The Orpheum Theatre, 200 N. Broadway, has been closed since the start of the pandemic and has had to cancel or reschedule its entire spring and early summer calendar, including three sold-out shows in April.
It was set to reopen July 16 with a screening of “The Color Purple” as part of its planned 2020 Anniversary Film Series.
It had planned all kinds of precautions including limiting capacity to 458 people instead of 1,286, blocking off seats, requiring masks and hiring a security firm to make sure everyone cooperated.
On Wednesday, the Orpheum canceled the screening.
This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 11:21 AM.
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