The City of Des Moines released a statement on summer events cancellations on Monday, May 11, 2020, reminding all that its Summer Concert Series has been suspended, the Farmers Market hopes to reopen, and some Parks & Rec programs may go virtual.

“The City will be evaluating each upcoming event and program with the health and safety of our residents in mind. There is a great deal of uncertainty as to the timing of safe gatherings and events in relation to the COVID – 19 pandemic.”

COMMUNITY EVENTS AND PROGRAMS UPDATE

The City of Des Moines is proud of the wide array of events and community gatherings held in the City each year. These events and programs are important to the community. Especially at this time, our greatest concern is for the safety of our residents and visitors. The City will be evaluating each upcoming event and program with the health and safety of our residents in mind. There is a great deal of uncertainty as to the timing of safe gatherings and events in relation to the COVID – 19 pandemic. Here’s what we know as of today.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES CANCELLED
The City has made the decision to suspend the summer concert series this year. Under current state guidelines, large crowds are not permissible and there is no definite timeframe for when it will again be safe to gather in large groups. We thank the City’s Arts Commission for their dedicated work in preparing for the summer. We hope to start planning for a robust program in 2021 starting this Fall.

At this time, the City is evaluating ways to safely continue allowing our facilities to be utilized for event rentals. We are contacting our current private event rental customers and determining the feasibility and safety of each event moving forward.

FARMERS MARKET HOPES TO REOPEN
The Des Moines Farmers Market hopes to open, and they are working hard to meet the new safety requirements of the King County Department of Health. The Health Department will reassess all safety protocols weekly to ensure that the Market is being conducted in the most safe manner for our residents and visitors consistent with new health protocols. We greatly appreciate the efforts of the Farmer’s Market to find ways to operate safely this summer.

PARKS & REC PROGRAMS
We know that the community looks forward to the summer programs put on by the City of Des Moines Parks and Recreation each year. We are hopeful that summer programming will be held in some capacity, although this will likely look quite different than our traditional summer programs and camps. Together with other cities and Parks and Recreation Departments around King County, we are working together to share ideas and brainstorm creative ways to safely reintegrate programming, which could consist of virtual programs.

This Summer, please enjoy the new flower plantings in the downtown, that were on order prior to the pandemic, and recently planted. Our parks remain open and available for local use with appropriate social distancing measures.

We look forward to sharing more information with you as it becomes available.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation, Nicole Nordholm at [email protected] or Recreation Manager Rick Scott at [email protected].

As always, the City Council, and City staff continue to be dedicated to supporting our citizens in this unprecedented and ever changing time. We will continue to assess ways in which to move forward safely to best serve our community.