COVID-19 forces cancellation of Cowtown’s 45-year-old holiday tradition
The COVID-19 pandemic and stricter local health mandates have created an air of no-no-no when it comes to local holiday events.
A few weeks ago — which in pandemic terms was months ago — several organizations were gearing up for holiday events that have now been canceled. For organizations like Midwest Dance Mechanix and the Metropolitan Ballet, the shows will still go on, but audiences will be watching from home instead of in performance halls.
No-go events
Last week, city officials told Jacky Goerzen, director of Old Cowtown Museum, that the attraction’s Victorian Christmas would have to be canceled because of pandemic restrictions. The event was scheduled for the evenings of Dec. 4, 5, 11 and 12. Several weeks ago, the museum had already made the decision to cancel its two indoors Breakfast With Santa events that usually happen on the Saturday mornings of the Victorian Christmas event weekends.
Not only has Victorian Christmas been a long-running Wichita tradition — 2020 would have marked its 45th year, but it’s been a major draw for the museum, bringing as many as 5,000 people over four nights, Goerzen said.
“We’re losing significant ticketing income with this, but it’s for the good of the community,” she said.
So that visitors can still enjoy the historical museum’s 1870s holiday decorations, Old Cowtown will stay open longer hours, until 8 p.m., Dec. 4, 5, 8-12, Goerzen said. The museum is closed on Sundays and Mondays in the winter season.
Most of the other area events that have canceled were indoor ones that would have included casts of performers. Canceled events include the Forum Theatre’s “Cool Yule,” “Inverno: The Great Holiday Circus” at Crown Uptown, “The Runaway Snowman” and “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” by the Wichita Children’s Dance and Theatre Center and “A Kansas Christmas” concerts by the Wichita Grand Opera.
From live to virtual events
“The Nutcracker” remains a quintessential holiday event for many people and two Wichita dance companies decided their performances needed to go on.
Within a few days, Midwest Dance Mechanix founder Jana Owen salvaged her company’s “Short and Suite Nutcracker” performances, which feature choreography by longtime Wichita ballet instructor Stan Rogers.
While the performances will happen on schedule this weekend, the new format meant rearranging the booking schedule of its performance venue and the orchestra that would accompany the dancers, hiring a company to record and ready its performances for virtual viewing and foregoing two weeks of rehearsals. The company had been practicing in face masks, but the ones Owen had ordered to match the dancers’ costumes hadn’t yet arrived so parents and volunteers set to work sewing more than 85 facial coverings.
The Saturday before Thanksgiving, in what was to have been the company’s costume rehearsal, the cast assembled for two recording sessions — with separate shooting for each of the production’s two acts, Owen said.
There was one COVID casualty of the performance: Abby Conrad, a company alum attending college in New York, was unable to travel to Wichita in time to perform the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy.
Virtual tickets are $25 per family and can be purchased up until 10 minutes before streaming times: 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4; 2, 6 and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6Information and tickets at www.dancemechanix.biz/nutcracker.
At $25 per household, audiences can see the Metropolitan Ballet of Wichita’s full-length performance of “The Nutcracker” that will be available for any time streaming between Dec. 21-27, according to Allie Cornet, president of the ballet’s board of directors. The company will shoot the production on Dec. 19 in Century II, which was one of the two original in-person performance dates. The company had already planned for a live-streaming option because of limited audience seating under previous pandemic precautions. Tickets should be available soon through wichitatix.com
Other virtual events
Christmas Candlelight virtual concert by Friends University choral groups, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Free. To view, go to facebook.com/FriendsFineArts.
“Jim Brickman, Comfort and Joy at Home” virtual concert benefiting the Orpheum Theatre at 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. More information and tickets: wichitaorpheum.com
Music Theatre Wichita Holiday Special, 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, 9 pm. Monday, Dec. 21, and noon, 7 and 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 24. Airing on KPTS TV and free livestreaming at kpts.org/programming/kpts-live.
“The Hip Hop Nutcracker” benefiting the Orpheum Theatre at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17. More information and tickets: wichitaorpheum.com
Still happening
Wichita Art Museum holiday open house, 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, WAM, 1400 Museum Blvd. Free. More information: wichitaartmuseum.org/openhouse
“National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” movie showing, 7-9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7, Crown Uptown, 3702 E. Douglas. More information and tickets: 316-612-7696 or crownuptown.com
“The Kyle and Monte Christmas Musical 4,” Wednesdays-Saturdays until Wednesday, Dec. 23, Roxy’s Downtown, 412 ½ Douglas Ave. Show-only and dinner-and-show tickets available. More information: 316-265-4400 or roxysdowntown.com
Illuminations at Botanica, 701 N. Amidon. A walk-through and drive-through option are available this year. See Santa behind a glass wall. The walk-through option closes Jan. 9 and the drive-through option closes Jan. 30; both options will be closed Dec. 24-25. Timed entry tickets required and sold only online. More information: botanica.org/illuminations
“The Tinsel Tale of Tori,” through Dec. 26, no shows Dec. 24-25, Mosley Street Melodrama, 234 N. Mosley St. Show-only and dinner-and-show tickets available. More information: 316-263-0222 or mosleystreet.com
Watson’s Christmas Express, Fridays and Saturdays through Dec. 19, and Sunday, Dec. 20, O.J. Watson Park, 3022 S. McLean Blvd. The miniature train at Watson Park is transformed into Wichita’s take on the Polar Express, a fictional train in the book of the same name by author Chris Van Allsburg. Ticketing must be done online at wichita.gov/ParkandRec and three time slots for each day of the event are available. More information: 316-268-4361
This story was originally published December 4, 2020 at 5:01 AM.