The annual Sputinkfest block party event that was scheduled to be held on September 12th will be adapted to a virtual event. The Rahr-West Art Museum Board of Directors and the City of Manitowoc made the joint decision due to the uncertainty of holding mass gatherings in the coming months in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
On September 5th 1962 a 20 pound piece of the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 4 came crashing to the earth landing on Eighth Street. Once it was cooled and examined it was eventually returned to the Russians. A metal circle is permanently embedded exactly where it hit. During the Festival people can literally stand where it “landed out of the blue.”
Rahr-West Executive Director Greg Vadney says that organizers plan to take many of the beloved costume contests and activities on-line with the addition of special guest speakers from the worlds of space and Sci-Fi.
Vadney adds “It stinks that we’re not able to have our regular Sputnikfest celebration this year but we think a virtual Sputnikfest is a very natural transition for an event like this to continue during a pandemic. The upside is that by taking things on-line we can reach a larger international audience who normally might not get a chance to come to Sputnikfest and it gives us a chance to set up video chats with special guests from the world of exploration. We are also hoping to have a video conference with some sci-fi actors.” More information will be shared at a later date.
Sputnikfest and Art Slam were to be held on the same weekend this year. Last week the organizers of Art Slam announced that the event has been postponed until 2021. A post on the Art Slam Manitowoc Facebook page reads, “Due to the uncertainties of Covid-19, the Lakeshore Artists Guild has decided to postpone Art Slam until September 11, 2021. The health and safety of our community, volunteers and partners are the Guild’s main priority. We hope that you and your loved ones stay well.”
