:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tronc/ADNYZMDX6JG7TBYN5CRFH4JIRA.jpg)
virginia beach — Ready for some good news? Virginia’s coronavirus transmission rates have been in steady decline for the past four weeks.
There just might be a light at the end of the tunnel after all.
If the trend continues, that almost certainly means events will return to the empty social calendars we’ve been staring at since mid-March. The ability to have events relies on attendees playing by the current rules of Virginia’s phase-three restrictions, which include keeping six feet between individuals, or parties. Washing hands often and sanitizing common areas frequently are among a laundry list of safety precautions.
Some businesses, like New Realm Brewing in Virginia Beach, have gone a step further to keep staff and patrons safe. Staff members are tested for COVID-19 every other week, with a 24-hour turnaround for results, and have routine temperature checks. Owners installed touchless door openers on restroom doors and use touchless menus. New staff members were hired to continually clean and sanitize.
That’s exactly the kind of place Audra Dement, the community engagement coordinator for the Sandler Center Foundation, and her team searched for when they started planning their fundraiser.
This Saturday at 1 p.m., the organization is holding Oktoberfest for the Arts at the Virginia Beach brewery to raise money for virtual arts programming to aid local schools and artists in need and to cover additional safety expenses for the Sandler Center’s eventual re-opening.
It’s their first big event since the pandemic began this spring, and putting the two-hour event together safely took much longer than typical. Dement said consideration after consideration was made to ensure the safety of their audience.
“New Realm is doing everything the CDC and Virginia Department of Health requires and then some,” she said. “We always take guest safety seriously, but we had to be more careful than ever when considering spacing and placement for the event.”
Safety precautions combined with the brewery’s large outdoor space made it a no-brainer for the fundraiser.
Though current restrictions allow for up to 250 guests indoors, the foundation’s COVID task force just wasn’t ready to hold an event inside, no matter how small.
Instead, Dement said they’ll sell about 50 tickets (or no more than 75) to their outdoor fundraiser. For $50, each ticket includes live music from Good Shot Judy, three drink tickets, a souvenir beer stein and hors d’oeuvres.
Guests will be spaced out at tables on the brewery’s lawn, which will be roped off from brewery guests not attending the event. Gloved staff will serve snacks. Hand sanitizer will be on hand at every turn, and masks will be provided if a guest forgets to take one.
The event will be entirely touchless, too. Bartenders, also required to wear gloves, will pour beer into disposable cups. Attendees will pick up their own beer steins.
Weekend Scoop
“The guests can then pour their own drinks into their stein,” Dement said. “We really tried to make sure that all of our guests are safe.”
For those craving live music but not quite ready to get back out there, can buy $50 virtual tickets and tune in from home. To-go packages include a six-pack of New Realm beer, a beer stein, a DIY pretzel necklace and a link to watch Good Shot Judy. The packages will be ready for pickup on Friday.
Dement said that if bad weather rolls in, they’ll postpone the event rather than move it indoors. If it looks like rain on Saturday morning, keep an eye on your inbox for a reschedule date.
And, if the coronavirus trends change this week they’ll reevaluate as needed, she said.
Depending on how Saturday goes, Dement said the foundation is considering similar events in the future.
“We’ll see how it goes, but it really seems live people are craving live music,” she said. “We have a saying at the Sandler right now: Social distancing may keep us apart but performing arts will keep us together.”
Amy Poulter, 757-446-2705, amy.poulter@pilotonline.com