Will Santa make it to Modesto’s Vintage Faire Mall this year amid COVID-19 concerns?
Yes, Modesto, there will be a Santa Claus at the mall this year. But no, sorry, there will be no sitting on his lap.
With November just around the corner, Vintage Faire Mall has announced its plans for the normally bustling holiday season. The north Modesto shopping center will indeed bring St. Nick back for his annual appearance at Center Court starting Nov. 20. But unlike traditional years past where families could get up-close and personal with Santa, this year coronavirus will have kids telling him what they want for Christmas at a distance.
Vintage Faire Mall spokeswoman Annie Ames said management wanted to continue the holiday tradition safely amid the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. That will mean making reservations for photo sessions, wearing masks throughout the visit and social distancing from Santa.
This year’s visits with Santa will be on a condensed schedule as well, starting Nov. 20 and running through Dec. 24, instead of the elaborate Santa HQ setup in Center Court from recent years that typically started near the beginning of November.
Like many other retail businesses across the county and state, Vintage Faire has seen significant closures and disruptions as the coronavirus continues to surge. The mall was initially closed for nine weeks during the shelter-in-place, then reopened in late May only to close again in mid-July. That second closure lasted seven weeks and now the mall has been reopened since the start of September.
Black Friday will be different with COVID-19
The changes to Santa’s visit this year aren’t the only ones mall customers can expect. This year the mall will be closed all of Thanksgiving Day, and only open the morning after for Black Friday and the traditional start of the holiday shopping season. In years past, some stores have opened at 6 p.m. Thanksgiving Day, and remained open for late-night shopping until midnight.
But Ames said the interior of the mall will be closed through the holiday, with all inside stores shut for the day — including its anchors J.C. Penney and Macy’s. Some restaurants with stand-alone or exterior entrances may be open on Thanksgiving, but Ames said customers should call ahead to be sure. The mall will reopen for Black Friday shopping starting at 6 a.m. Nov. 27.
Another annual holiday tradition that will continue, albeit modified for these coronavirus times, is the Soroptimist Community Christmas Tree. The charitable campaign started earlier this month to give presents for area children in need. Started in 1985, the gift drive is sponsored by the Soroptimist International of Modesto in partnership with Modesto Sunrise Rotary.
The tree, where people could pick off tags with gifts to buy, has been replaced this year by a large sign and donations box. Health risks means there will be no staffed kiosk, so the community groups are asking people to dig into their wallets for donations instead. Those donations will then be used to shop for gifts. This year they hope the donations drive, which will run until Dec. 18, will help bring holiday cheer to some 1,500 families.
Then, through the month of December, there will still be the Sounds of the Season community concerts at the mall, but they will be held in Vintage Faire’s Outdoor Village. Mall representatives said sign ups to perform will be available online starting next week.
One new presence this holiday season at the mall is its drive-thru Covid Clinic. The site is open daily at the mall, offering the public a variety of tests for the virus including rapid testing with results in as fast as 20 minutes. Besides the rapid tests, the clinic is offering the more traditional COVID-19 RT-PCR tests for active infections and COVID-19 antibody test for those looking to find out about past exposure.
The Covid Clinic is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily in its back parking lot near J.C. Penney. Testing fees are charged up-front, but patients can seek reimbursement from their health insurance. The clinic is by appointment only, which can be booked at www.covidclinic.org, and will be at the mall through the end of the year.
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 5:30 AM.
