BY SYDNEY DAILY
The First Friday started in January of 2018 in order to support Wadsworth’s downtown small businesses. There have been over 50 First Fridays since 2018 including virtual First Fridays during the pandemic.
“First Friday brings the community together, educates the community about our organization’s mission which is ‘to create an unmatched downtown experience,’ and increases foot traffic to our downtown businesses,” said Adrianne Patrick, Executive Director of First Friday. “It supports our local economy and enhances the quality of life for the community.”
If a business wants to get involved in First Friday, they can share their email address with Main Street Wadsworth, which is the organization that makes First Friday happen, and that business’s information goes into the organization’s database. Main Street Wadsworth then sends an email to the business about the upcoming theme and they then can add their offerings if they want to participate. If they would like to participate, they are encouraged to offer something related to the theme.
“When we did a British-themed First Friday, one business had a British costume contest,” said Patrick. “Another had a volunteer dress up like the Queen of England and brought her Corgi dog. Another set up British-themed icons for people to take pictures with. Each month is different and the businesses have only gotten more creative with what they offer.”
This month’s theme is “Out of This World,” an outer space theme. There will be a rocket ship on wheels giving free rides for kids downtown, a planetarium for kids, and a lot of costumed Star Wars characters. There will also be a celebration of the latest art mural downtown, which celebrates Wadsworth’s connections to space.
“First Friday is a way to connect our community to our downtown, to assist in the revitalization of our historic downtown district, and to make it a place worth celebrating while building our local economy,” said Patrick. There is something fun downtown for all ages, so visit downtown Wadsworth for an unmatched downtown experience.”
