Events In Aurora Canceled Through End Of Summer: Mayor

AURORA, IL — There will be no concerts, block parties or Fourth of July celebrations in Aurora this summer, Mayor Richard Irvin announced Wednesday. Irvin said city officials have canceled all summer events in Aurora out of an “abundance of caution” for residents’ safety and the city’s financial health. Irvin on April 3 canceled all public events, including the city’s Memorial Day Parade, through the end of May.

“In doing that, we followed the science. Large-scale events would be ideal environments to spread the COVID-19 virus throughout a community,” Irvin said Wednesday during his first media briefing at City Hall in two months. “A month later, the science remains the same.”

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Irvin highlighted the difficulty of keeping people safe at the city’s Fourth of July parade and fireworks display, where up to 40,000 people gather “often shoulder to shoulder” to celebrate. Irvin credited social distancing and other safety measures with keeping thousands of Aurorans from contracting the coronavirus.

The mayor made the announcement days after Kane County Coroner Rob Russell confirmed a spike in coronavirus-related deaths over the past week. Thirty-eight Aurora residents have died since the outbreak began, Russell announced Monday. More than 70 percent of the city's coronavirus-related deaths have been recorded in the past two weeks, according to public health data.

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Tim Rater, president and CEO of the Aurora Civic Center Authority, said he and his team have been working to reschedule this summer’s slate of performances at the Paramount Theatre and RiverEdge Park. Most of the performers scheduled to play this summer have already agreed to new dates next year, Rater said.

The third annual Aurora Pride Parade and the 48th annual Puerto Rican Heritage Parade and Festival have both been postponed until next summer by event organizers, Irvin said.

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The city’s pools will also be closed after the Aquatic Administrative Board and the Fox Valley Park District Board of Commissioners voted to close down facilities for the summer.

Half of the summer pool season would be over by July, the earliest opportunity for pools to reopen under Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s phased reopening plan, Irvin said. Officials decided against running up operating expenses to reopen for a truncated season, Irvin said.

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Despite public events being canceled, the Aurora Farmers Market is set to be open for business this summer.

Irvin said organizers will “operate a revised farmers market” in downtown Aurora, where vendors will be spread out along Water Street Square and must follow strict safety guidelines, like wearing protective gear. The number of people shopping at the farmers market will be limited to maintain proper social distancing, Irvin said.

Irvin also announced he has once again extended the city’s emergency declaration, with the Aurora City Council approving the extension Tuesday night. The emergency declaration now runs through the end of May, bringing it in line with Pritzker’s disaster proclamations, which provide additional federal resources in the state's fight against the new coronavirus outbreak.

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