Lincoln says “Aloha” to the 2022 season of Third Friday Downtown events

[July 21, 2022]    Last Friday evening was the last of the Third Friday Downtown Lincoln events for the 2022 season. This year, for the first year in quite some time, the city of Lincoln was able to host all three of the scheduled monthly events. In the past, there have been multiple years where that nasty weather caused the cancellation of at least one event.

And, Mother Nature did her best to keep the planning committee on edge this year, but in the end, she cut them some slack and allowed the community to enjoy the finale’ and say a proper “Aloha” to the 2022 season.

Rain had been sporadic throughout the day but when it was time to call it yeah or nay for the event, the weather was calming and the forecast was that the next wave of rain would hold off. Organizers held their breath and said, “Let’s go for it.”

The greatest advantage to the on again, off again, rain showers on Friday was that it served to help cool things down. During the week, Logan County had seen very warm temperatures with high heat indexes and that was the case again on Saturday and Sunday. But For Friday evening, the cloudy skies and brisk breeze coupled with temperatures in the high 70’s made for a very pleasant night.



The greatest disadvantage to the weather conditions was that brisk breeze, which resulted in one special feature for the evening being nixed. Lincoln City Clerk Peggy Bateman explained as she lugged two big couplers for the downtown fire hydrants back to the fire station that the breeze was taking the water in the wrong direction from what the street layout called for. Therefore, the committee had to make the quick decision to nix the feature for the sake of the rest of the fun and games on Broadway Street.

While the kids in attendance always enjoy the water play, taking a stroll down Broadway Street and seeing the gigantic inflatable obstacle course and the number of kids enjoying it left the impression that no one was missing the water.



Also on Broadway Street, Sorrento’s Pizzeria was once again a popular stop for food. Selling pizza by the slice right outside the front door of the business, the workers stayed busy most of the evening.



There were a number of food and drink offerings this month and everything was so tasty that even the family pets in attendance were begging for more.

Along the 100 block of Kickapoo Street was clearly the busiest part of the Friday night event. On that street there were vendors with games to play, prizes to win, food and drinks to buy, and lots of friendly faces anxious to share information about their business, organization, or upcoming event.

While many of the vendors were the same ones that had set up tables in the first two events, there were also several new ones this month.

Among those were a couple of lemonade stands, a representative sharing information about the Logan County Fair, and the Central Illinois Veterans Commission was on hand seeking signatures for 2X4’s of Hope for the next veteran tiny home project.

The live music this month was provided by K & R Country and was located at the intersection of Kickapoo and Pulaski Streets. The musicians drew in a large crowd of visitors who were happy to take a seat, rest their feet, but tap their toes to the musical stylings of the band.

The theme for the Third Friday July event was Hawaiian Luau. Vendors took advantage of the theme to decorate their tables, or in the case of the Traveling Top Hat their vintage camper-trailer to fit the theme.





Some of the visitors to the heart of the city were also taking advantage of the theme to don their Hawaiian shirts or wear traditional lei that were available at the event.
 

In addition to the Traveling Top Hat, Pulaski Street was also the location for car enthusiasts as the Railsplitter Antique Auto Club hosted a small cruise-in. Spirited Republic was also a popular stop on that street.



Artisans lined McLean Street in front of the Lincoln Arts Institute and on the LAI front porch owner Jason Hoffman had easels set up and was encouraging visitors to add a touch of color and personality to the three community artworks that were on display.

As the evening progressed, the crowds grew larger and surely event organizers were pleased with the success of the third and final event of the year. While it would be hard to say which of the three events was the best, it would not be hard to say that this year the committee out did themselves when it came to providing fun and free street fair events in the heart of the city.

A special thank you to all those who worked so hard this year to bring something remarkable to our community. You deserve a pat on the back for a job well done, and hope you were as happy and encouraged by this year’s success as the community.

[Nila Smith]