May has arrived, spring is in the air, and it’s hard not to get excited by Athol’s plans for a series of First Friday downtown gatherings during the coming warm-weather months.
Selectwoman Holly Young and others are organizing these small-scale North Quabbin Fall Festivals that they hope will fill downtown with vendors, shoppers, musicians and residents young and old who will mingle along a pedestrian-only Main Street.
The core idea, of course, is to boost business, but Young and her cadre on the First Friday Group of Athol are also trying to tap into and release the town’s spirit of conviviality — especially since we’ve all been bottled up during the winter months.
The first First Friday will be this week, to be followed by similar events on June 1, July 6, Aug. 3, Sept. 7 and Oct. 5 — all of which have been given the Selectboard’s blessing. The board recently waived typical $25 permit fee for the events, as they are supported by the Downtown Vitality Committee. Main Street will be blocked off from the Athol Area YMCA to the Exchange Street intersection for the events that will run from 4 to 7 p.m.
The First Fridays are another way to inject more life into the downtown, according to Young.
“My vision is focused on the downtown — of getting people used to going downtown. My dream is to bring in businesses like a bakery and a brewpub to fill in the empty stores,” she told the Selectboard.
Ann Wilhite, a member of the Downtown Vitality Committee and owner of the Deja Vu women’s consignments store at 479 Main St., has been talking with the downtown merchants to get them involved.
The First Friday Group expects the events will include not just Main Street merchant sidewalk sales but also musical entertainment, home business vendors, food vendors, arts and crafts, direct sales vendors and offer children’s activities.
Gail Young, president of the Chuck Stone Little League of Athol, will head up children’s activities and games, probably in the area of the Athol Public Library. Athol Library Director Jean Shaughnessy has agreed to keep the library open until 5:30 p.m. on those days, and put up the Story Walk, a self-directed tour for children.
“We want parents to bring their children and just have fun,” said Young.
The sale of food and alcoholic beverages was also approved by the Selectboard.
“It will be open to anybody who wants to participate,” said Young, who hopes organizations like Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts might like to sell popcorn or other treats and take part in the celebration of community.
“We want to boost all local businesses,” from the downtown merchants to the young mothers who sell Pampered Chef and those who make crafts, said Young. There is no fee for setting up along Main Street, although participants will be responsible for bringing their own tables and equipment and for picking up after themselves.
While there was some concern among her fellow Selectboard members about closing off Main Street on a busy Friday evening, as is done annually in September for the North Quabbin Fall Festival, the board adopted a sensible and supportive approach: try the road closure for the first three dates, “and see how it works.”
We suspect it will work out great because people like pedestrianized shopping and entertainment venues, whether here in the U.S. or in Atholl of the Scottish Highlands. Closing off the street from the Library to Exchange Street will creates the festive mood that people love and keep everyone safe — and bring it all together downtown.
Young and her committee should be commended for the instigation of this good idea, and perhaps more importantly, they deserve thanks for all the hard work they’ve put into this project, and will in the months ahead. Finally, to prevent all the work from falling on too few shoulders, we encourage as many people as possible to participate and volunteer to help, thus making these First Fridays true community events.