It’s been just about a week since Chico Marketplace, formerly Chico Mall, has reopened, but there are still a number of restrictions in place.

Seating and tables have been removed from the common area to discourage gathering, and children’s play areas are still closed.

Stores are required to limit their people capacity to 25%, and masks are required for employees and customers.

Mall stores will continue with the program “Retail to You,” which is the curbside delivery program. Details on how that works is at www.chicomall.com/retail-to-you.

As always, new projects create the stir, and those who have seen activity at the former Forever 21 site may be wondering.

Marketplace spokeswoman Lynette Myers reveals that’s where HomeGoods store will be going, featuring home decor items.

Work to revamp the space is under way, with a “tentative” opening in spring 2021, she said. If you’re curious about the store, the next closest one is in Redding.

Fake water tower

A fake water tank that will be home to communications equipment is being proposed on Browns Valley Drive in north Chico.

The 82-foot high tank is being proposed by a contractor, Cellco Partnership and its affiliates for Verizon Wireless. Sacramento Valley Limited Partnership will be the owner.

The Federal Communications Commission is reviewing an application for the tank right now.

Plans call for the tank tower to be built at 13464 Browns Valley Drive, an empty parcel to the east of Cohasset Road, an area dedicated to a number of small industrial and automotive businesses.

Sounds like a fake water tank is a better choice for that site than a fake pine tree.

Kayaking at night

This has nothing to do with business, but everything to do with “how cool is that.”

Volunteers from Chico Community Observatory in upper Bidwell Park are hosting a special event in Paradise on Sept. 18. It’s called “Astronomy on the Lake,” and it is literally on the lake.

Paradise Lake will be filled with kayaks for a sunset paddle and then a “star tour” led by observatory folks.

Bill Koperwhats of the observatory will be the guest speaker and one of the astronomy sources often quoted in this publication. He’s knowledgeable and funny.

Bring your own kayak or floating device, and COVID-approved mask.

It is $20 through the hosting Paradise Park and Recreation District, with registration online https://paradiseprpd.

Let’s hope the skies are clear and there’s no new or old smoke floating around.

What’s new under COVID?

But it struck me last week that there are no Halloween costume stores settling into our vacant stores.

Come the return of school (and usually about mid-August), we start seeing Halloween costume stores getting established, at least in Chico.

Is Halloween another event to bite the dust? I certainly can’t see a place for Halloween parties (college, high school or church oriented events), and what parent wants their child knocking on unknown doors, dipping into bowls of candy and pulling out a small bag or piece of wrapped candy handled by who-knows-how-many people.

While I’ve seen Halloween sections in local stores, I’m not seeing massive amounts of inventory going into vacant store.

What will be interesting is seeing which events and observances will pop up in 2021, and which won’t.