Formerly known as the Sidewalk Sale, the celebration continues through the weekend
By Cameron Aalto, Ashland.news
Music and product demonstrations are among attractions set for the first-ever Ashland Sidewalk Celebration this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Ashland Chamber of Commerce has announced.
The former twice-yearly Sidewalk Sale has been reformatted and expanded by the chamber’s Rediscover Downtown Task Force, according to Dana Preston, the director of membership and business for the Ashland Chamber of Commerce.
“We have done the Sidewalk Sale, primarily downtown, for … I would say, decades,” Preston told Ashland.news. She says that with the addition of new businesses and retailers downtown, the Task Force has been mulling over how to update the event, and “really be very inclusive of a lot of different businesses and business types.”
Inclusion for this event involves more than just inviting new businesses downtown to participate, but also organizations as well.
“We invited businesses and community partners, like nonprofit organizations, that don’t necessarily have a business location in the downtown, to partner up with another organization or business in the downtown to get some exposure,” Preston said. “So we know that, like, we’ve got this downtown, it’s a really walkable, lovely area — we also know we have so many great businesses that are maybe outside of the downtown area, but we wanted to extend the invitation to invite them to come and participate in this, and I think that element will be able to grow quite a bit for September.”
Plans call for the Ashland Sidewalk Celebration to follow in the Sidewalk Sales’ twice-yearly footsteps, happening in May and September. Dates for September’s celebration haven’t yet been determined.
The Sidewalk Celebration has historically been focused on supporting local businesses. Now, with its revisions, it will continue to do so but with more details to add to the shopping experience. Preston says, “… The entire experience of like a downtown area and shopping is also about, like, maybe some music, maybe, you know, grabbing a bite for lunch, or having dinner. … So we really wanted to take a look at the entire business makeup of downtown, really focus on shopping — and also all the different things that we can do to have fun in downtown.”
There will be opportunities for visitors to watch live entertainment. Performers will set up in front of the Black Swan building, on the Ashland Plaza, and inside several stores downtown.
Performers include Nancy Wilkinson, Bill Scholer, Hot Copper Kettle, Tatjanna Juliet, and The Brothers Reed.
Preston says that there will be unique shopping experiences offered. As an example, she says that “There might be some product demonstrations going on, like retail demos — I know I just saw a flyer yesterday (for) Websters, which is down by the Plaza.” She says that they will be doing demonstrations for “knitting, crocheting, macrame, you know all these different weaving (techniques).”
Preston said local businesses will be trying new things to enhance the shopping experience for customers, “So instead of simply thinking of it as ‘go door-to-door and shop,’ I think a lot of businesses in town are gonna be doing unique things. Either right in front of their business or outside their business.”
The Art & Soul Ashland gallery has posted its schedule of artist demonstrations here.
For more information, visit ashlandchamber.com.
Ashland.news intern Cameron Aalto is a senior at Southern Oregon University. Email him at [email protected].
