Not normal times

0

Truthfully, we don’t know much. We don’t know if the COVID-19 virus will continue to spread, we don’t know if the pandemic will still be defining our lives next month, next fall, next year, we don’t know if schools will re-open, whether or not the Great Darke County Fair will happen, and ultimately, we don’t know how to thoughtfully and efficiently plan for the future. This frustrating truth is experienced by almost everyone, including the staff and officials of Darke County Center for the Arts, who are desperately hoping to present an exciting slate of events during the upcoming year. Normally, right now I would be lauding DCCA’s upcoming Artists Series, Family Theatre Series, and Coffeehouse Series, urging you to get your tickets now so as not to miss out on any of the wonders that await; however, these are not normal times, and we cannot predict when we will move from not knowing into whatever a new normal may be.

Believe me, I am ready to experience live music once again, to feel the thrilling interaction between the audience and those artists making the music, to head home knowing that I have been involved in memorable moments that will never again happen on this earth, feeling and remembering pretty much forever the euphoria that those moments inspired. Oh, I enjoy the creative output of performers whose need to do what they were born to do inspires impromptu ad hoc concerts from their homes, sometimes alone, sometimes through the magic of technology alone together with others. Although at times magical moments are made and captured on a screen within our homes and transferred to our hearts and souls, it is not the same as having been there at that unforgettable moment in time when you were one with the artists, with others in the audience, with the universe.

DCCA understands all that, and is eager to fulfill your hopes and expectations—but cannot make solid plans during such an unstable period. So, instead of following the normal schedule and announcing the upcoming season, DCCA is currently notifying past Artists Series subscribers of their options regarding the cancellation of the planned final two shows of the season just ended. Knowing that the arts organization’s success through the years is due to loyal support received from community members, DCCA is offering the following options for subscribers to the 2019-2020 Kaleidoscope season: The value of those unused tickets for The Hit Men and Toledo Symphony Orchestra concerts ($55) can be donated to DCCA as an investment assisting the organization’s mission to promote the arts; or that amount can be applied to the cost of a subscription to DCCA’s planned 2020-2021 Vision season; or a refund can be requested.

Those wishing to donate the ticket amount back to DCCA need do nothing at all; after June 22, those donors will receive a tax letter acknowledging the value of their contribution to the non-profit organization. If you want to apply the cost of those unused tickets to your payment for the upcoming season or to request a refund, contact DCCA at 937-547-0908 or [email protected] before that June 22 deadline date. Single ticket buyers have until June 30 to request refunds for shows that DCCA was forced to cancel; if you have questions or need more information, please contact DCCA.

We never know what the future holds; however, as we have absolutely no pattern to follow, making normal actions fraught with doubt, the unprecedented nature of this novel virus contributes to even greater uncertainty. As we learn to tolerate living with this uncertainty, we move into the unknown one day at a time. And that’s pretty much what we know now.

https://www.dailyadvocate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/web1_delkcolumnPRINT-2-46.jpg

By Marilyn Delk

DCCA News

Marilyn Delk is the former executive director of the Darke County Center for the Arts and can be reached at [email protected]. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

No posts to display