Athol committee explores sidewalk sales to replace Fourth Friday festivals

ATHOL – With Fourth Fridays on hold this year because of anticipated downtown paving, the Downtown Vitality Committee discussed other ways to promote downtown’s businesses.

Fourth Fridays are downtown festivals traditionally held during the summer months, featuring vendors, community organizations, entertainment and local businesses. Committee member Mary Holtorf said residents have continued asking about these events, and she recently met with fellow committee member Dale Belliveau to brainstorm different ways to continue promoting downtown businesses.

“So what we kind of focused on, because we’re not having the downtown fests, was to reinvent that with the ‘potential sidewalk sale,’ which the goal is to get people into the new businesses,” Holtorf said during the committee’s meeting on July 14.

The proposal would allow participating businesses to display merchandise outside their storefronts on the sidewalk, encouraging visitors to stop and shop downtown.

Police Chief Jarret Mousseau said businesses participating in a potential sidewalk sale would need an annual town permit, which costs about $20.

Holtorf also pointed to other downtown-focused events, including a Halloween stroll and Midnight Madness, as examples of smaller activities that would not require closing Main Street.

Committee member Shelly Kelley suggested the town could also build on the annual River Rat Race, which already attracts residents and visitors to downtown Athol.

“I feel like that’s the town’s crown jewel,” Kelley said of the River Rat.

The committee discussed ways to make the week of the River Rat a larger downtown event, including sidewalk sales, food trucks and activities for children between the morning parade and the start of the race.

Town Manager Shaun Suhoski said the town’s limited staffing makes it difficult to pursue every idea and encouraged the committee to focus on expanding existing events, pointing to the River Rat Race as one possibility, while working with the community groups already involved.

In other news, committee members discussed concerns from downtown business owners about people gathering in the municipal parking lot behind Main Street businesses.

Mousseau said officers cannot remove people simply for gathering in a public area unless illegal activity is occurring. He encouraged business owners to contact police while problems are happening so officers can respond, and said “no trespassing” signs on private property can help when property owners report trespassing.