Outside The Meadows wedding venue in Stonington mid-afternoon Friday, rows of pocket-sized bottles of hand sanitizers stood on a table next to a box of surgical masks, in front of a sign that said, "Spread love, not germs / Please take one." Less than two hours before the roughly 90-person wedding, the bride and groom took pictures near the chairs set up for the ceremony in front of a creek and Paffard Woods. The DJ readied his system on the covered patio as the bridal party gathered inside.

The Meadows owner Ian Camfield said this was the fourth wedding the facility held outdoors this year, under a tent it's renting. It's known as an indoor venue and usually gets about one outdoor wedding per year — until this year, when the pandemic moved things outside.

As a private facility, under Gov. Ned Lamont's restrictions, it can have up to 100 people outside but only 25 inside.

Venue manager Sarah St. Amour, who is Camfield's daughter, said The Meadows originally had 25 weddings planned for this year and was able to rebook all but one. Camfield said earlier in the year couples were pushing weddings to the fall but then started rescheduling them to 2021.

While revenue is dramatically down, Camfield said Eversource fees have "eaten us alive" and he's gotten no property tax relief — "not a formula for a successful small business."

On Sept. 24, Lamont announced that Connecticut will move into Phase 3 of reopening Oct. 8, a long four months for businesses after the state entered Phase 2 on June 17. Phase 3 will significantly raise indoor capacity, and Camfield said The Meadows will "feel like we're back in business again."

"For me, that will change everything, our ability to bring 100 people indoors," he said. Camfield noted that not many people want to get married in the winter months, though maybe it will be different this year, and St. Amour said there might be more galas instead of weddings.

Along with the increased limit for private events at commercial facilities, Phase 3 means indoor performing arts venues can open at 50% capacity, and capacity at restaurants, hair salons, barber shops and libraries will increase from 50% to 75%. Bars and nightclubs will remain closed.

This is happening as new COVID-19 cases are on the rise, and after the state's test positivity rate increased from as low as 0.7% over the summer to 1.4% Friday.

Through his role as chairman of the Connecticut Restaurant Association board, restaurateur Dan Meiser had been pushing for increased event capacity. Meiser owns the Mystic restaurants Oyster Club, Engine Room, and Grass & Bone. His wife, Jane Meiser, and he own Stone Acres Farm, which hosts weddings.

While restaurants and grocery stores have no knowledge of who enters, weddings take place in a "very controlled, orderly environment," Meiser noted. Temperature checks can be done at the door, and having everyone's name on a guest list makes contact tracing easier, in the event it becomes necessary.

For restaurants, Meiser said the continued requirement of 6-foot spacing will mean "a pretty significant investment in infrastructure," meaning more plexiglass, to achieve 75% capacity. He doesn't think his restaurants could get above 75%, if that was allowed, "without creating an office/cubicle style" of seating.

Meiser said that subject to local approval, restaurants can erect tents outside and put in heaters, so they'll have more space to work with.

Arts venues investigate options

More specific guidelines are expected to come for indoor performing arts venues, which are grappling with what Phase 3 might mean for their organizations. Are shows financially feasible at 50% capacity? Are there different types of shows that will work?

"We're just trying to look at what our options are and determine if it's financially viable," said Michael Gennaro, executive director of Goodspeed Musicals. "It's a step in the right direction and I appreciate the governor loosening up the restrictions or changing them somewhat, but we just don't know for sure right now what will work and what won't work."

He said it will take a couple of weeks to investigate options. Goodspeed Musicals would be hard pressed to produce its usual large-cast musicals for less than a full house, but staff members are looking at what other performances might be possible.

The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook has a strategy team working toward reopening. Executive Director Brett Elliott said the Kate is exploring options for later this fall with "some very small capacity, very specific style of events that we think we can do safely."

Discussing style of events, he notes that there is a big difference between a singer-songwriter and, say, a rowdy tribute band. Elliott said if the Kate could break even on a show, that "would be amazing, but (as a nonprofit) we're also here for the community."

None of the scheduled performances the Garde Arts Center in New London had to postpone will be happening this year, Executive Director Steve Sigel said. But if the opportunity arose, he would consider the idea of renting out the Garde to 100 people for something.

The region's casinos aren't bound by state capacity rules, since they're on tribal land.

Before Lamont's announcement, Foxwoods had scheduled the reopening of its Grand Theater with socially distant shows, starting with comedian Bob Marley on Oct. 16 and 17. The website says the shows "will be abiding by all rules and orders set forth by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation Safety and Health Board," including having seats set 6 feet apart.

Comix Roadhouse/Comix Comedy Club at Mohegan Sun has reopened as well, with scaled-down capacity and distancing in place.

Libraries adjust hours but don't have capacity issues

Mystic and Noank Library Director Karen Wall said while capacity is increasing to 75%, libraries will have to stick with however many patrons they can accommodate with social distancing rules. She said determining that number is especially challenging for libraries in historical buildings.

"Every library is so different; there's not a one-size-fits-all," Wall said. She added that each library can see how others are handling a particular detail and tailor that to fit their own situation.

Amy Kennedy, director of Wheeler Library in North Stonington, said her library is dictating capacity more specifically by room. Phase 3 guidelines would increase the capacity of the open second floor of the library to about 100 people, but she said staff members don't want to have that many people in the building at once.

Wheeler is open to the public Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and patrons can make appointments to visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Kennedy said patrons also have the option to book private sessions for story time or visiting the children's room.

"We feel good about what we did," she said. "All the libraries kind of feel like it's more about their community than what some external source is telling them."

Mystic and Noank Library has gradually increased hours over the last few months, spreading out the number of people coming in at once, and the Public Library of New London has added an hour to its Saturday schedule ahead of the reopening.

Director Madhu Gupta said the New London library will reopen its local history room and notary services by appointment. She said staff members are discussing how to reopen programming and meeting rooms "when circumstances permit," noting the need for physical barriers and cleaning between users.

The library's adopt-a-book fundraiser, which starts Oct. 15, had been planned to go virtual, but the Phase 3 reopening will allow staff to present the books for public perusal as they have in the past. Patrons can place books they've touched in bins, for quarantining and cleaning.

All three library directors said they haven't needed to refuse anyone at the door because of current capacity limitations.

Day Staff Writer Amanda Hutchinson contributed to this report.

e.moser@theday.com

k.dorsey@theday.com