L’il Lad the clown(Belleville Shriner Rick) embraces birthday girl Madeleine Parent at the Street Festival in downtown Belleville Saturday. (Photo: Quinte News).
While the most crowded part of downtown Belleville today (Saturday) was the Empire Square which featured Quinte Craft Beer: Oktoberfest, the BDIA street festival did alright as well.
Local retailers, service groups, and outside vendors set up booths along Front Street from Station Street to Victoria Avenue.
One of the organizers, Kathryn Brown of Kate’s Kitchen said hundreds of people wandered through the street and most left with a good impression of the “brand new” downtown Belleville.
The revitalization project is complete on that section of Front Street.
Ms. Brown said there were glitches at the beginning of the street festival, when there were access problems with entering and exiting McNabb Towers and the Quinte Living Centre, but thanked Belleville’s Public Works department for fast work to rectify the situation.
Meanwhile, owner of Reiki on Wheels, Billy Collingridge, said the modest first street event for the BDIA in the “new look” downtown was simply the first baby step in what will certainly lead to much bigger and better events.
Collingridge said Belleville’s council and staff had stepped up to the plate big time in committing to a multi-million dollar rejuvenation in the downtown and now it was time for business people in the downtown to do their part.
Expect new events in the downtown regularly as the BDIA retail committee pushes to take advantage of the revitalization in the core.
