News From Britt Hill – May 2021

As you can imagine, everywhere Britt’s staff and Board leadership go, our friends and neighbors want to know what our plans are for 2021. The most urgent question is always the same: “Are we going to have a season?” We wish the answer was a simple “yes” or “no.” Unfortunately, there is no clear-cut pathway to the answer.

In November of 2020, beyond all reasonable expectations, a safe and effective vaccine was rolled out to the world. Astoundingly, just a little over one year past the upheaval, 25 percent of Oregonians are now fully vaccinated, with another 33 percent having received at least one dose, and the state has opened up vaccine availability to all people age 16 and over. This fact is giving great hope to many that we may be able to return to a semblance of “normal” life in the coming months—a life that will hopefully include outdoor music venues.

But a key part to venues returning includes adequate ramp-up time to plan. Volunteers need to be recruited and trained. Seasonal staff, contractors and suppliers need to be lined up, licenses and permits acquired. Performers need to be booked months ahead to coordinate complicated tours and travel.

Recognizing these facts, other states are beginning to look beyond infection rates toward a “post-vaccinated world” and defining the metrics that will be used to assess risk once we get there. As an example, California recently announced plans to fully lift all capacity limits and social-distancing restrictions for outdoor and indoor events on June 15, subject to continued mask-wearing, sufficient vaccine supply, and low hospitalization rates. This is a significant shift away from only monitoring new infections (which could be mild in nature) and instead by looking toward severe illness rates as a defining metric.

On March 31, a coalition of event planners and venue owners from around the state of Oregon met with a representative from Governor Brown’s office and a physician from the Oregon Health Authority with the hopes of hearing that some post-pandemic planning and new guidelines were in the works. No such message has been delivered yet, and we are still awaiting guidance as our neighboring states move ahead with booking acts and planning events for the summer and fall.

What a disappointing and potentially economically devastating summer it would be if the population is largely vaccinated, relegating COVID-19 to a disease akin to the seasonal flu, but venues can’t open because we weren’t given guidance from the state government with time to plan in good faith. Obviously, we are a part of the economic ecosystem.

But beyond that, we are embedded in our region’s cultural identity.

We bring our community together in celebration, and we could all use a celebration or two after the year that we’ve had.

There are complex issues around holding a 2021 season, especially if it requires reduced audience sizes and other COVID-19 restrictions.

If at Jackson County’s lowest risk level our only option is to open with social distancing, it will not work for Britt because we would only be able to accommodate 605 patrons. Since we generally rely on at least 1,500 patrons to break even, this does not pencil out. Our intimate hillside is simply not conducive to social distancing.

We hope that by the time this column is published, we will have a thoughtful and safe reopening strategy from the Governor. If not, it’s past time for the Governor’s office and OHA to start issuing planning guidance for a post-vaccinated, post-COVID Oregon. It’s time to offer a glimmer of hope to our beleaguered citizenry for more normal times to come. Until then, the Britt Music and Arts Festival 2021 season is in limbo.

In closing, lately, I’ve been receiving phone calls of concern about Britt’s long-term viability. Music lovers are worried that we might not be able to weather the storm. Let’s be very clear: No matter what happens this year—season, partial season, or no season—with your support, Britt will be back bigger and better than ever in 2022. Moreover, we are still holding out hope for a safe return in 2021.