The bad news: There won’t be a large crowd at the Miss Tracy Scholarship Program.
The good news: For the first time ever, the event can be watched online.
By Per Peterson
Box Car Days is filled with timeless traditions to which everyone in Tracy can relate: the grand parade at 1 p.m. sharp, the midway, class reunions, bingo and the Lions’ food stand to name a few. And while all that has been lost this year, one very popular staple is returning — although even that will be noticeably different.
In true “the-show-must-go-on” fashion, the Miss Tracy Scholarship Program will once again take place this year — at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday — even though Box Car Days won’t. The big difference will be the girls performing in front of a pair of cameras and only a select few people because of COVID-19-related guidelines that prohibit large gatherings in public places. That means those who want to watch this year’s program are literally left to their own devices, as it will be live-streamed for public viewing (http://misstracy.org). The only people allowed in the Tracy Area High School gym — besides those directly involved with this year’s program — will be the contestants’ parents.
“It’s a bummer to all of us directors that the girls are losing some of those typical Box Car Days traditions,” said director Mallory Fultz. “We love getting to see them out and about downtown, riding through the parade and seeing them getting congratulated by so many people. There is something special about all the things BCD has to offer the Miss Tracy girls. However, we are encouraging them still to go out on the Saturday night before the show just to keep tradition and to relax and enjoy each other’s time before the busy performance Sunday. We are also hoping to do something to replace the parade for them, however, we are still trying to figure that out and working on those details. We want to make the weekend special for them.”
See this week’s Headlight Herald for more on this article.