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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made life difficult for everybody and for nearly every business, such as entertainment venues.
				But Drew Taylor, managing director at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts, says &ldquo;the Kirby is not going anywhere.&rdquo;
				Taylor said the Kirby Center has been able to survive thanks to government subsidies and also through various fundraising efforts.
				&ldquo;We have gotten the funding we needed so far,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;We need to keep finding those sources. Our board members have been very involved, and they are dedicated to our reopening and continuation. I am confident that we are going to be here. Yes, we would like to reopen sooner rather than later, but we will be here when that happens.&rdquo;
				Taylor said when the pandemic hit, he, like most people, never imagined it would last as long as it has.
				&ldquo;We never imagined it would last this long,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;In March when we closed up, we walked away and thought we would be back in a month or two.&rdquo;
				Instead, Taylor said shows had to be rescheduled or canceled. He said the public has been supportive throughout the process.
				&ldquo;People have been fantastic,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had very few requests for refunds. But some shows had to be canceled because tours couldn&rsquo;t reschedule dates.&rdquo;
				Taylor said at times the situation was very taxing, with zero revenue coming in and having to refund money for those canceled shows.
				But the government&rsquo;s PPE program provided some relief, Taylor said, hoping the funding would not have to be repaid.
				&ldquo;We had to use that money to pay for refunded tickets and to pay the bills at the Kirby even though we were shuttered,&rdquo; he said.
				And, Taylor said, some employees had to be furloughed.
				&ldquo;That was very difficult,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We were seeing the gravity of the situation&rdquo;
				Taylor said eight people were furloughed and seven retained.
				&ldquo;We felt we had to keep them in place for rescheduling shows and refunding tickets,&rdquo; Taylor sad. &ldquo;And we kept our development staff to have them continue to seek revenue sources.&rdquo;
				And Taylor said the Kirby held a few fundraising events to help bring in revenue.
				&ldquo;We have learned just how much the public loves the Kirby Center,&rdquo; Taylor said.
				Taylor said the Kirby received good responses to online auctions where signed posters and photos of performers who appeared at the Kirby received good bids.
				&ldquo;We have also been able to talk to people, and it&rsquo;s refreshing to hear how they can&rsquo;t wait to get back and attend shows and go to dinner in downtown,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;People want to be able to come back and go to a show or see a movie.&rdquo;
				Taylor said the Kirby Center made it through the summer months &ldquo;pretty well,&rdquo; but the winter has been difficult.
				&ldquo;I think cabin fever is at an all-time high,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;People have missed that social interaction, and it&rsquo;s taken a toll on many. People miss the music, the plays, the arts. Everybody feels the same.&rdquo;
				Taylor feels the day is close when the Kirby Center and other venues will be able to open their door to the public once again. And when that happens, Taylor realizes and expects restrictions will be in place.
				&ldquo;We know the numbers will be restricted,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;But we are getting a lot of calls from agents looking for dates for us to book. The question will be at what capacity. Can we fill our 1,800 seats, or a percentage and what will that percentage be? We just don&rsquo;t know at this point.&rdquo;
				And that will dictate what acts can be booked at what cost and what the price of tickets will be.
				Taylor said he and other operators are banking on the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines.
				&ldquo;Hopefully, that will increase the comfort level for our patrons,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;And we will do everything the CDC recommends. We are looking at installing a filtration system, and we will practice social distancing, mask wearing, and have disinfectant in place.&rdquo;
				Taylor said if the vaccine proves to be effective, herd immunity could be near.
				&ldquo;If the majority of the population gets vaccinated, we will get there,&rdquo; he said.
				Taylor said prior to the pandemic, the Kirby Center was &ldquo;on a roll&rdquo; over the previous six or seven years, being recognized for its accomplishments.
				&ldquo;Now we will have to start all over again,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;The good signs are that many big headliners are holding dates to come back in 2021-22. They will be back when the time is right, and that will help jump-start the return of the Kirby Center.&rdquo;
				Taylor said there are many unresolved variables to deal with and if the pandemic continues, more delays could follow.
				Taylor said the National Independent Venues Association has been lobbying in Washington on behalf of venues like the Kirby Center, seeking necessary funding to sustain operations.
				&ldquo;A lot of theaters and venues are falling by the wayside,&rdquo; Taylor said. &ldquo;Funding is critical to all of us in this industry.&rdquo;
				Optimistic about the Arena 
				Will Beekman, general manager for ASM Global at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza, said there is no doubt that it has been an extremely difficult year.
				&ldquo;But we remain cautiously optimistic that there&rsquo;s a light at the end of the tunnel,&rdquo; Beekman said.
				For now, Beekman said the live event industry seems to be positioning itself for a possible return in the fall of 2021.
				&ldquo;Whether or not that comes to fruition depends on many factors that are way beyond our control,&rdquo; Beekman said. &ldquo;But if we can get back to meaningful capacities by the third or fourth quarter, then I think the concert floodgates will open and we will experience an extremely busy final four months of the year.&rdquo;
				Beekman said the fall and winter calendars are currently packed with potential concerts and family shows that are sitting tight and crossing fingers.
				&ldquo;In the meantime, we are trying to use this down time wisely by making important upgrades to our building that will ensure the safety of our patrons upon reopening our doors,&rdquo; Beekman said. &ldquo;And make no mistake, those doors will reopen.&rdquo;

Kirby Center chief: ‘The Kirby is not going anywhere’