CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The annual Buc Days celebration that usually kicks off in April, has been postponed several months because of growing concern about COVID-19. Event organizers have now moved it to November.
Thousands typically attend Buc Day festivities, and postponing the event brings mixed emotions from some who look forward to the festivities in the Spring.
"As a parent there's that concern about having that event with everything that's going on," said Liz Ortega-Ruiz. "There's a lot of uncertainty."
The 10-day celebration will now run from Nov. 19-29, which is around the Thanksgiving holiday and when many students are on break.
However Ortega-Ruiz, a CCISD fine-arts specialist, is worried about the event's new date. She said the district has nearly 1,000 students perform in the Navy/Army Night Parade every year.
"By that time of the year, they are exhausted," Ortega-Ruiz said. "These kids and teachers have been working tirelessly almost every single day starting about mid-July."
A Buc Days official said this week in November was chosen to make sure all of the festivities, like the rodeo and carnival, are still part of the festival. Plus, students, staff and most of the community will already be off for the holidays.
However, Cesar Flores, the Executive Director for Neighborhood Center of Corpus Christi, also worries this year won't be the same. His organization has been participating in the Buc Days junior parade for nearly 50 years.
"I don't think I'm going to get half of the kids to be able to stay (for the event) because they're on vacation -- they're with family," he said.
But fortunately for the thousands of eventgoers, the Buc Days show still will go on.
"It really is one of the things we look forward to every year, it's just going to be different," Flores said.
Click here for a full schedule of Buc Days events.
