Summer is here: Big events are canceling but smaller summer camps, activities are starting up again

As distance learning from this year’s strange school year amid the coronavirus pandemic is wrapping up, summer vacation is kicking off – but with virus concerns still lingering, parents are wondering if this will be the start of a bummer summer.

Will kids be able to splash around at the pool or take swim lessons? What about their favorite summer camp? Will their face masks leave an funky tan line as the sun starts to sizzle?

State and county officials are still navigating the list of what’s allowed and what’s not, with cities, businesses and summer camps trying to get creative to keep kids entertained and active, while also keeping them safe and distanced.

One thing is clear: Most events that draw a lot of people and take months to plan likely won’t be happening this summer.

Big family-friendly events, such as the OC Fair and many Fourth of July celebrations, have already been canceled. Events that take months to plan, such as Laguna Beach’s Pageant of the Masters, have also been called off for this summer.

Longstanding community events, including the Ocean Festival in San Clemente and the La Habra Corn Festival, which typically happen in August, have also been nixed.

La Habra Councilman Jim Gomez said the three-day Corn Festival has never been canceled in its 72 years of running.

“I’m very disappointed, it’s a long tradition, people come to reunited with everybody,” he said. “I understand safety comes first.

“It’s a giant homecoming year after year,” he said. “It’s very popular, we have a parade, we all gather at the park … it has long, deep roots in the community.”

Other popular community draws such as the Children’s Museum at La Habra also remain closed for now, he said.

The city, like some others, has started registration for some summer camps, allowing only 10 kids per session. Most sold out, he said.

The county on Friday, June 12, allowed community pools to reopen. The city hasn’t announced plans yet for its swimming programs and two new splash pads. When the splash pads do open, Gomez said they’ll likely have a registration system to limit use.

“We’re navigating waters we never imagined we would be right now,” he said.

There’s been talk of doing “Movies in the Park” again, he said, also using a reservation system and circles set around to show where families can sit.

Other communities are also getting creative. In the Dana Point Harbor, plans are in the works to create drive-in movie nights, as well as live music performances.

While some cities are waiting or figuring out how to hold summer camps, privately operated camps are quickly booking up.

“The overall trend is they’ve been adapting, they are looking forward to opening up and they are starting to open with state restrictions in mind,” said Cristina Martin, co-owner of orangecounty.net, an online hub started in 1998 to promote area summer camps.

Still, some camps are extending online offerings into summer months for the parents not yet comfortable with sending their children to community classes or camps, she said.

The Boy Scouts of America opened the doors at its William Lyon Homes Center for Scouting in Santa Ana as of Monday, June 8, with units allowed to start meeting with safety guidelines.

Enrollment at the Newport Sea Base and the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center, operated by the Scouts, has already started with courses starting July 6, however overnight programs will remain closed, with hopes of resuming in late August.

“It is crazy and hectic, we’re all just working hard to provide some kind of activity and programs for kids and families to get some kind of outlet,” said Tom Hartmann, executive director for the Newport Sea Base. “We’re going to do it the safest way we can, kids need to get out and get some activity.”

Hartman said they’ll be holding smaller classes and limited interaction between age groups. He said their phones were ringing off the hook when they opened up registration, and already they are 70 percent full for summer.

“There’s that latent, pent-up demand,” he said.

The Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center, which typically serves 40,000 people a year, will have only 2,000 kids through summer, with about 250 per day, Hartman said.

The Orange County YMCA recently announced the opening of 20 locations to summer camps starting June 1 and the Boys & Girls Clubs in some areas are opening back up for summer day camps starting June 12.

In Yorba Linda, the city will not offer its traditional Adventure Playground, but instead will hold Adventure Camp, a new day camp.

The Adventure Camp will offer popular activities including fort building, maze games, ziplining, crafts, water activities and more, with a morning and afternoon session to accommodate social distancing and other safety and sanitation protocols.

Westwind Sailing in the Dana Point Harbor is also doing its sailing lessons and summer camps, with most spots for June already taken, but some still available for July.

The Ocean Institute, a nonprofit in Dana Point, is kicking off its summer camp program on June 22, with spots available through Aug. 14.

Some changes this year include staggering drop-off and pick-up times and having only 10 campers for the week, according to its website. Staff kits will include extra masks, hand sanitizer and gloves; campers must apply their own sunscreen through the day; and there will be increased sanitation practices of surfaces like door handles and restrooms.

Kids will be required to have a face mask and encouraged to wear it as much as possible, especially during group activities.

The State Parks system, while canceling its Junior Lifeguard program, will instead hold smaller beach camps for youngsters, with a requirement that participants have already completed junior guards the previous year.

If learning to surf is on your to-do list this summer, some schools are giving private lessons, with hopes they can do their summer surf camps when they are given the go ahead, Dana Point city spokeswoman Jessica Spaulding said.

The Corky Carroll Surf School at Bolsa Chica, which is celebrating its 25th summer giving lessons, will be opening up on June 22 for daily lessons and week-long camps.

Safety measures include disinfecting wetsuits between uses, smaller groups sizes and sanitation spots on the sand. Also, shakas – that iconic hang loose gesture of the beach scene – will be encouraged in place of hand shakes, hugs or fist pumps.

“Surfing itself is a distancing sport,” said school owner Kelsey Coleman. “We just want to get these kiddos out in the sunshine and water.”

Source: Orange County Register