BEMIDJI -- NLFX Professional and the Sanford Center were two of the Bemidji area businesses and organizations to join in the nationwide effort known as Red Alert RESTART #WeMakeEvents movement Tuesday evening.
The goal of the movement is to shine a light on the impact the pandemic has had on the entertainment industry around the world, as performers and event centers aren’t the only financial victims of the coronavirus pandemic. According to Ben Stowe, owner at NLFX Professional, the 2020 shutdown has impacted throngs of support personnel and ancillary businesses too.
“We will be lighting our buildings red and projecting the #WeMakeEvents images on them as a sign of support and solidarity for the millions of people who work in the arts and events industry,” Stowe said leading up to the event, “94% of whom are reported to be unemployed or have income loss.”
Businesses lit up portions of their building with red lights from 9 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday. The Sanford Center shared several images on its Facebook page after lighting up the front of the event center.
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In addition to NLFX Professional -- located in the Bemidji Industrial Park -- and the Sanford Center, other known businesses that joined in were Paul Bunyan Playhouse and Supple Studios in Bemidji, and Flying Dog Studio in Pennington.
The Red Alert effort hopes to shine a light on legislation pending in Congress (the RESTART Act) which may provide some relief to the industry.
Read more about the effort in this Aug. 28 Pioneer article .
