By Heather Rule

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Tracy recognized that its residents were tired of being cooped up. As a result, the city implemented multiple social infrastructure projects to get people out and socializing again, according to Tracy Public Library Director Val Quist.

“We also wanted to encourage positive relationships with local government,” Quist said. “So, we decided to start trying to do more community activities where everyone could just come and hang out in the park. Just be out together again.”

Tracy, a city of about 2,000 people, had a proactive City Council and staff that established these social infrastructure projects, and they kept up the opportunities for community engagement even following the pandemic. The new events, most notably, include the summer kickoff event, Burgers, Bands, and Brews, and the arts at Tracy Public Library.

Summer kickoff event

Burgers, Bands, and Brews was one of two new festivals started in Tracy, the other being Aloha Night. Burgers, Bands, and Brews is held the first Saturday in June in Tracy as a “kickoff to summer,” said Tracy City Administrator Jeff Carpenter.

This summer was the third annual event, and it coincided with the season opening of the Tracy Aquatic Center. The activities bring in people from the city and surrounding areas, and — as the event’s name would suggest — attendees are able to enjoy burgers and brews, while they listen to music from both local and out-of-town bands.

The event was another success for Tracy in 2024, and city leaders heard plenty of “thank you’s” from community members, showing their appreciation for the hard work that goes into putting on the event, according to Carpenter.

Arts programming for all ages

The public library also has been key in developing the city’s social opportunities. While Tracy has always had a fantastic library, Quist said, they’ve tried to form more partnerships over the past four years by working with the local school district and local museum to provide programming at the library for residents. Those relationships also include sharing costs and getting grants to help provide these opportunities.

This summer was the third year Tracy’s library held summer art camps for kids in three age groups, and it has also held multiple art classes for kids and adults. Additionally, the library started an art program with Every Citizen Counts Organization (ECCO), bringing clients with developmental disabilities into the library to do art projects with other community members.

Not only does the library foster making art, it has also started featuring it. A couple of teen art exhibitions have been displayed and gallery hardware was installed in its meeting rooms for rotating art exhibits. Leaders also created a large art installation at the library in early 2024. The art project at the library is a historical portrait of days gone by, connecting residents to the history of Tracy, according to Tom Dobson, economic development administration (EDA) coordinator and community development director.

“We’ve had a tremendous influx of individuals who have no history [of Tracy] that have moved in post-pandemic,” Dobson said. “I think it’s important that we feel like it’s not a cliquish town.”

Social infrastructure projects have positive impacts

These new opportunities to socialize have had positive effects on Tracy. For instance, on a Tuesday afternoon in June, “the whole downtown … was full,” Carpenter said. He added that summer school was in full swing, the library held a story-time event, and the summer meals program was available at two places in town.

Quist notices how the social infrastructure has “fostered relationships between us as public figures” and the City Council and community. It brings everyone closer together with something other than city government, she added.

“Then, where there’s that more positive relationship, we’re more likely to talk to each other about other things, too,” Quist said.

Carpenter saw community members pitch in with clean-up efforts following Burgers, Bands, and Brews, with as many as 30% to 40% of event attendees helping, which cut the clean-up time from about an hour to 15 or 20 minutes.

“I think that’s a good example of how the community has come together to be participants, not just to be entertained, but to be part of it,” Carpenter said.

He added that Tracy would like to continue to have these social events so residents can enjoy things right in the city, especially on weekends.

“We’re trying to keep our downtown as lively as possible,” Carpenter said. “We want to be able to offer things so that people stay here in town.”

Heather Rule is a freelance writer.