A group of downtown business owners have partnered with the Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce to hold three weekend-long, summer First Friday/Weekend Walkabout events as a means to re-invigorate Sarnia’s downtown core after several years of sluggish business due to the pandemic .
From July 8 to 10, Aug. 5 to 7 and Sept. 2 to 4, Christina Street will be closed from George Street to Davis Street beginning at 6 pm Friday, reopening only on Sunday at 6 pm
On Friday nights, entertainment-minded community members are being encouraged to come downtown to peruse through stores while enjoying a myriad of music, culinary, beverage and art choices. On Saturdays, the downtown core will play host to three themed Weekend Walkabout activities, which will showcase local businesses and vendors and feature live music. Sunday will be the car show, which will also feature live pop-up music from 10 am to 4 pm
The committee leading this initiative hopes that the once-a-month road closure will allow businesses to thrive while giving pedestrians a chance to unwind and rediscover Sarnia’s dynamic downtown core.
“It’s to draw the community to our downtown core, to show off the businesses there and to create a really fun event,” said the Chamber of Commerce’s Robin Cooke.
“With COVID restrictions over, we wanted to relive First Fridays and our Weekend Walkabouts, by having them on three weekends throughout the summer. We’re pretty sure that will bring people downtown and they can enjoy the area.”
Themes for Weekend Walkabouts will range from canines to art to local culinary delights, Cooke said.
“During the first one we’re holding in July, we’ll be doing the Dog Days of Summer,” Cooke said. “We’re showcasing the Humane Society as well as businesses like the Fox and Hound, so there will be a lot of dog play areas and we’re encouraging people to bring their furry family members. There will also be a lot of vendors, we’ve got a good list of vendors with different treats and games for the pets.”
“In August, we’re trying to revive Artwalk because that was always such a popular event,” she continued. “So we’ll be having a crafting area for local artisans and all sorts of displays. And finally in September we’re going to highlight different food vendors with the Taste of Sarnia Food Festival. We’ll feature not simply vendors from downtown, but we’ll also be bringing in others as well.”
Cooke said she has been encouraged with how unified the First Friday Weekend Walkabout Committee has been to make these weekends work.
“In the past we tried to run (something similar) but this year we’ve got such an enthusiastic group of business owners on the committee, it’s a real joint effort and it’s really nice to see this happening.”
For more information about weekend activities, vendor information or sponsorship opportunities, visit www.sarniafirstfriday.comthe Sarnia First Friday Facebook page or email [email protected].