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 The term vaguely comes into play, because, in
recalling the past events, it is hard to remember a night when there
were more people in Lincoln than this past Friday. To say there were
several hundred would be a big understatement. While no one was
counting, a good guess was that the streets were filled with a few
thousand people getting out on a perfect night to enjoy the return
of the street festivals in Lincoln.
The downtown square had, for the first time ever, activities and
vendors on all four sides. In addition there were a couple of
downtown businesses that exceeded the square by a block that were
also participating in the event.
On Kickapoo Street, one such vendor was Sir Renna Tea, just north of
the square. Owner Eileen Mullins summed up the entire evening in one
word “freedom.” Mullins was holding a sidewalk sale enticing
shoppers to stop and view the items on a table she had set up as
well as take a closer look at the amazing window display Mullins has
this month.
While most of the draw to Mullins’ sale was people who had parked
further up the street and stopped for a moment as they headed
downtown, Mullins was still very excited about what she was seeing
in the city. She noted that the event was filling the square with
vendors and people and that life was “the way it should be” right
now.
Another business that isn’t exactly on the square but close by was
the Lincoln CBD. Instead of holding a sale in front of their store
on Broadway Street, the owners had opted to put up a tent in front
of the former Rent One Furniture store.
Owner Jaimie Harvey was on hand to share information about the
products sold at the store. Lincoln CBD opened late last year, and
she says the business is doing well, but there is always room for
more. She was hoping that an evening on the square would draw new
customers to the store in the future.
Other businesses around the square that were open included Guest
House Coffee and Pastries, Small Town Creations, The Alley-bi
Saloon, Rusty Rail Tavern, Spirited Republic, Sorrento’s and Flossie
and Delzina’s. Most of these businesses were selling food and
beverages and visitors downtown were taking full advantage of the
opportunity to grab something to sip or munch as they visited the
other vendors.
Mama’s Arcade was also set up on the square selling food and drink
and Top Hat Creamery was open selling sweet, creamy cold ice cream
on a warm spring evening.
On the east side of the Logan County Courthouse square, the Lincoln
Arts Institute was open for guests and was also offering some fun
activities for youth.
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While children participated in a quick and easy print making
class with the LAI May feature artist Lisa Lofgren, adults could enjoy the works
of the artist on display inside.
The musical entertainment for the evening was Harmony Grits and a large number
of people brought their lawn chairs and planted themselves in front of the band
for an evening of excellent music.
Across the street from the Art Institute were artisan booths including Randy
Washam, Jeff Williams of Springfield, a Henna Tattooist, and the works of Bob’s
Woodshed.
Bob’s Woodshed is Lincoln’s own Fire Chief Bob Dunovsky, who does some excellent
turned wood pieces including bowls and ink pens. Partnering with Bob in his
booth was wife Cindy, who has created her own side business utilizing the left
over resin that Bob uses in his woodcrafts.
Also included in the night were plenty of games for kids and adults. The giant
games such as Connect Four, and wood blocks modeled after Jenga, were popular
stops for kids. Kids and adults enjoyed the volleyball net and Zumba dancing.
On the square, Lincoln Mayor Tracy Welch was helping out as a member of the
Third Friday Committee and taking time to visit with folks as he traversed
around the square. Welch was excited about the turn out for the first event of
2021 and is hopeful it is a sign of good things ahead for his town. He noted
that the committee had been concerned about not offering bounce houses this
year, but looking at CDC and Health Department guidelines, having the
inflatables would have been unsafe for the children in the community due to
coronavirus. However, he felt like they were not being missed by anyone.
Welch said on this first night, he wanted to acknowledge the hard work of the
committee and especially of this year’s chairperson – Marcia Cook. He said that
Cook had dove into the project with complete commitment, and had helped to bring
about a very successful first event. He’s anxious to see what will happen with
the next two events.
The Third Friday Downtown events will be back June 18th and July 16th weather
permitting. The events start at 5:30 p.m. and wrap up around 8 p.m. each of the
two evenings.
While it was a full night of fun, food, and entertainment, there is still room
for more. Anyone who would like to set up a vendor or artisan booth at a future
event can get the ball rolling by emailing the Third Friday Committee at
thirdfridays@lincolnil.gov.
[Nila Smith]
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