Santa Maria event organizers respond to coronavirus outbreak

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Downtown Friday is one of the biggest events in Santa Maria, drawing in thousands of visitors every year. 

But with Governor Newsom’s call to cancel or postpone gatherings of 250 or more people statewide, nothing seems certain.

“We are going to follow whatever the experts tell us to do, that’s for sure. We’re going to be safe with this, so if we do have to postpone, we will let people know and we will start later and just go later into the year,” said Ed Carcarey with Downtown Friday.

The Governor’s call would go through the end of March to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease.

Carcarey said the event, which normally goes for 27 weeks, is known for boosting the local economy with more than 70 vendors participating.

“I feel bad for everyone all over the nation and the world that stuff is changing right now, especially people’s economy, but I understand we’ve got to be safe,” Carcarey said.

Managers with the Rec and Parks Department said the upcoming Mother and Son Dance will likely be postponed as well as the related events. 

Several events at the Allan Hancock College have already been cancelled including PCPA’s production of Julius Caesar, Hancock’s Dance Spectrum Spring 2020 Showcase and CTE Junior Dayk.

The City of Santa Maria is closely monitoring guidelines from the governor’s office.

“The situation is fluid. In fact, the city will be participating in a call this afternoon with the public health department. They’re doing a great job of informing everyone what the rules are and the overall common goal is to help slow the spread of this respiratory illness through these measures,” said spokesperson Mark van de Kamp with the City of Santa Maria.

As for Downtown Friday, Carcarey said it will be postponed to begin on May 1.