The year 2020 was anything but entertaining.

But in Fountain Hills, organizations and art events managed to be held and supported.

Fountain Hills Theater was the little engine that could during the year. Despite closing its doors in March, theater productions continued to be held.

Beginning with online productions called “Broadway Quarantine Cabaret,” the theater introduced actors from the Valley, as well as from New York, to viewers each weekend in May. Beginning in June, there were drive-in productions, with patrons remaining in their cars while watching actors perform on an outdoor stage. The sound for the productions was broadcast on an FM closed-circuit radio signal through vehicles’ sound systems.

While theater officials continued to be hopeful about opening, shows continued to be outdoors, with COVID-19 protocols in place.

The theater did hold day camps for children during school breaks, but no indoor events were held onstage inside the theater. An opening date for 2021 had not been announced at press time.

The new year holds promise for many events, but there are still activities that will remain dark through 2021.

The Pat Covault Memorial Concert Series will be on hiatus until 2022, with the 10th annual Tour d’Artistes scheduled for March 2022. This year’s event has been canceled.

Fountain Hills Juried Art Exhibition will be held tomorrow, Thursday, Jan. 7, online. The show can be viewed at the league’s website, fountainhillsartleague.com.

The Fountain Hills Art League All Member Show also will be held on the league’s website, running through the month of February.

Fountain Hills Artists Gallery was closed for a number of months in the early days of the pandemic. After the economic reopening, gallery Manager Margaret Sullivan said the love of art and the ability to mingle in a safe environment brought customers back to the gallery.

“Our artists take the greatest of care for the safety and happiness of our customers,” Sullivan said.

Barbara Zahno, with Emerson Art Gallery, said special events are still on hold there. However, the gallery is open with safety protocols in place.

Zahno said as soon as things return to “normal,” the gallery hopes to have new events. Pictures from 2020 will be changed soon, she added.

Another fall favorite, Ballet Under the Stars, was canceled in September. Ballet Arizona hopes to hold the event again this coming fall.

Fountain of Light, created by local sculptor Brian Schader, is expected to be dedicated later this month as part of the Fountain at 50 anniversary celebration.

Fountain Hills Community Chorus was two weeks shy of its spring concerts in 2020 when its events were canceled. Members hope to begin rehearsals in September for the annual fall/holiday concert season.

Ordinarily, rehearsals would begin in January for the spring show, but COVID-19 concerns remain. September is the goal, said member Sharie Mikolajczyk.

The Times reached out to Scott Burgener, the new director of the Fountain Hills Community Band. He was unavailable at press time for band updates.

The annual In-Home Concerts will not be held this year; however, organizers are planning a special event in March.

The “In-Home” concert is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, March 21. Instead of being held at someone’s home, the event will be held at the Amphitheater at Fountain Park and will be open to the public free of charge.

The Munch and Music Concert Series will be on hiatus through 2021 with hopes to return in 2022.

The L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum has been closed through most of 2020. A reopening date has not been announced, but Executive Director Cherie Koss and a small staff with some volunteers have been busy through the closure.

There has been some remodeling, there are online tours available, and online shopping became an option just before the holidays.

Just before the museum closed, Koss announced the museum was selected to participate in a Museum Assessment Program. Participation in the assessment will empower the museum to better serve its communities.

The final report is expected soon. The review was done virtually, and Koss reported initial feedback is positive.

MAP helps museums strengthen operations, plan for the future and meet standards through self-study and a site visit from and expert peer reviewer.

Flutter at the Fountain was held virtually, as well as in person at a distance. Fountain Hills Community Foundation was able to change directions from a gala to an event at Fountain Hills Community Garden to raise funds for Fountain Hills Gives.

Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce was able to hold the Fall Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts in November, but with COVID-19 restrictions.

A chamber mixer is scheduled for Jan. 12 on the newly remodeled patio, and discussions are underway about the Spring Festival of Fine Arts and Crafts, which is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 26-28.

The annual chamber gala, which was held virtually in 2020, is scheduled for April 23 this year, with additional details to be announced at a later date.

Fountain Hills Days, which is a new chamber event replacing the annual Business EXPO, is set for May 15. The EXPO has been held each October, but was canceled in 2020.

The chamber also is taking over Oktoberfest in 2021 and has scheduled the event to take place Sept. 24-25.

All events are subject to change depending on pandemic considerations.

Art on the Avenue continues each Thursday through April.