Update: Here’s what’s on Fresno’s reopening mega list, including a Boots in the Park concert
Earlier this week, Fresno County moved closer to a return to normal — or a new normal — following more than a year of coronavirus restrictions that halted the majority of entertainment options in the region.
The county is now listed in the orange Tier 3 of the state’s color-coded Blueprint for a Safer Economy, meaning the potential for catching COVID-19 is “moderate” and that movie theater, museums, sporting events and other live entertainment can begin to expand operations.
Here’s what it means for the area’s restaurants and bars.
So, is your favorite entertainment back in action? Yes, mostly, though in some cases, no, or at least not yet.
Here is a list of reopening plans as we know them. It will be updated.
Crystal Cave opens 2021 season
Crystal Cave, with its famous spider web gate and massive rock formations, will open for the 2021 season in May.
The cave, located near Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park, will have hourly tours running 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Sunday through November.
Advance tickets are required and go on sale Saturday, May 1 at www.recreation.gov.
All tours will follow safety protocol guidance from the Center for Disease Control, along with recommendations from state and local public health authorities in consultation with National Park Service Public Health Service officers.
Visitors will be required to wear masks inside of Crystal Cave at all times and outdoors when social distancing cannot be maintained.
Return of the block busters?
Area movie theater have been operating — with capacity limits and other safety measures — since early April.
Maya Cinemas Fresno at Campus Pointe opened April 2 and Sierra Vista Cinema on April 16.
Regal Cinemas is reopening its three Fresno area theaters in waves over the next month. The Manchester 16 theater will open first on Friday and feature new films including “Mortal Kombat.”
That will be followed by a completely retooled Edwards theaters on May 7 and UA Broadway Fair location on May 14.
All Regal theaters will adhere to CinemaSafe guidelines, which were commissioned by the National Association of Theatre Owners and designed by epidemiologists.
Theater and art
Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater reopens on Friday, with a special live concert featuring a rotating case of Good Company Players, including Jessica Sarkisian, Shawn Williams, Emily Pessano, Ted Nunes, Meg Clark, Camille Gaston and Sara Price. The show, emceed by Dan Pessano, will run Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday for a matinee.
All attendees will be required to prove their COVID status, either with a vaccine card or proof that they’ve received negative test results with 72hours. Mask will be required and social distancing will be observed when entering and leaving the show.
The company is currently in rehearsals for its next run, with plans to open “Nunsense” on May 20. “Daddy Long Legs” will take over in July, “The Addams Family” in September and “Elf” will finish the year.
Reservations at the company’s website, at the box office, or by calling 559-266-9494.
The Fresno Art Museum will remain closed for at least another month at its handles critical building repairs.
In a letter to guests on its website, the museum says it is replacing the chiller that regulates its indoor temperatures and replacing the track lighting in one of the major galleries. The museum hopes to reopen in June.
In the meantime, you can explore the the galleries at ad distance with the museum’s virtual gallery guide.
It appears like Arte Americas will remain closed until early May at least.
The museum is hosting its annual Mariachi Mother’s Day Celebration as a free, virtual event May 9 on Facebook Live. The event will feature two hours of live mariachi music.
According to its website the museum continues to prepare the building for reopening and is renovating its outdoor plaza.
Downtown’s monthly ArtHop celebration is still on hold. Organizers had said they will return with the event once Fresno County falls into the final Tier 4, when possible exposure to COVID is “minimal.”
Clubs and music venues
While many of Fresno’s bars, breweries and wineries have already begun hosting live music and the like (the Licorice Pimps play Engelmann Cellars on Friday, for example) the area’s theaters, arenas and clubs and beginning to announce new bookings.
Fulton 55 said it would be announcing new shows soon and Strummer’s teased a return on its Instagram.
“Good things on the horizon.”
The nightclub has now announced a fall tour stop from the Austin trop-pop duo Summer Salt. The band plays Nov. 2. Tickets are on sale now.
Visalia’s Cellar Door is hosting an all-ages fundraiser concert May 9 with Motel Drive and the Tower Vampires. It will host musician Nik Freitas for a limited capacity show June 18.
While the ultimate fate of Fresno’s Tower Theatre is uncertain, its owner Laurence Abbate seemed to imply the venue would be seeing concerts soon in in a Facebook live video posted Wednesday.
“We’re booking away,” he said.
Fresno’s Save Mart Center arena will be back to nearly full swing in September, with a duo of concert dates from Alejandro Fernandez, and Michael Buble. Before that, it has a rescheduled JoJo Siwa concert on the calendar for June 23. The arena has also announce a new dates Luke Bryan, who will be in Fresno Oct. 15 (tickets on sale now) and Matchbox Twenty, which pushed its September date until May 24, 2022.
Chukchansi casino kicks off its summer concert series with county singer Trace Adkins on June 26.
Chukchansi Park, home of the Grizzlies, is hosting Los Inquietos del Norte on its tour Adrenalia. According to the flier, tickets are limited and mask will be required.
It looks like Granite Park will get into hosting events this summer. It has already booked a pair of Boots in the Park country concerts. The first happens June 18 with Chris Young, Scott McCreery, Dylan Scott and Leaving Austin. Tickets are $49 to $125 and on sale now.
The Grizzlies, out of hibernation
The Fresno Grizzlies, in a new league and with a new affiliation, will host their season home opener May 11 at Chukchansi Park. They will play the Visalia Rawhide for anyone interested in starting a Valley rivalry. The game starts a 12-game homestand.
A limited number of single game tickets for those May games will go on sale 10 a.m. Friday April 30 outdoor venues in Fresno are allowed to increase capacity to 33%.
“We have had fans reaching out for single game tickets nonstop and Friday will finally be the day that we can say ‘yes, we have them’!” said President Derek Franks.
“By advancing to the Orange Tier of reopening, we will be able to have even more of Growlifornia in the stands for Opening Night and beyond.”
COVID protocols will include physically distanced seating pods with vacant seats to separate groups of fans, buffer zones around the field, streamlined concourse flow and advanced ticket sales only, meaning tickets will not be available to purchase on game day.
Masks will be required.
On a related note, the Grizzlies will be hosting the Taco Truck Throwdown for 2021, but not during baseball season. The food and music event will happen Oct. 23 at Chukchansi Park.
Fresno State softball, baseball, track and field
Spectators are now allowed at Fresno State sporting events, though at 20% of normal capacity.
Which means the softball team’s April and May games at Margie Wright Diamond are already sold out.
There are a limited number of tickets available for school’s remaining baseball games: May 15 and 16 against Nevada; May 18 against USC; May 22 and 23 against UNLV.
The lacrosse team plays at 2 p.m. Saturday against UC Davis. Tickets are free. The following weekend is the MPSF Tournament semifinals and championship. Tickets are available.
The Spalding G. Wathen Tennis Center will host matches Thursday, Friday and Saturday against Fresno City College, Ventura College and Nevada. Tickets are free.
There are several events over the next weeks for fans of of track and field, including the Fresno State Invitational at 10 a.m. Saturday at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis. Also at the Vet: the West Coast Relays on April 30 and the Mountain West Championships on May 13-15.
Entrance to the invitational and relays events are free.
Championship tickets available for advance purchase only at gobulldogs.com or 559-278-DOGS.
And what about water parks?
Both Fresno’s Island Water Park and Wildwater Adventure Park in Clovis are still working on details for their 2021 seasons, according to their websites.
Island Water Park is hosting a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p .m. Saturday and has said it is planning to be open by Memorial Day weekend.
White Wildwater Adventure hasn’t listed a date for reopening and a message to the park was not immediately returned. In the past it has been open, operating and busy, by Memorial Day weekend.
This story was originally published April 22, 2021 at 2:21 PM.