Over the course of the last three weekends, we have had four VERY different events in New Port Richey.
The first event was the Gearlink Criterium Series. This featured a day of bicycle races around New Port Richey. It was a cool event to watch, although it didn’t get nearly enough publicity.
The second event was the return of Bike Fest and featured everything a motorcycle enthusiast could dream of. By all accounts, thousands of motorcycle riders descended on New Port Richey for a weekend of motorcycles, music, and fun. I don’t own a motorcycle, but still found my way to Sims Park to hear some great music.
This past Saturday we had a pair of events: An art walk on Grand Blvd south of Main Street and a family day featuring “trunk or treat” around Orange Lake, followed by a family movie in Sims Park.
Despite claims that beer sales are necessary to draw people to events in the park, I’m pretty sure that there were more people in the park for the family movie than were in attendance for the excellent music that was part of Bike Fest the previous Sunday afternoon.
The Art Walk was interesting and I’d love to see more events like this. It was classy and provided a showcase for our local artist community. It was also relatively low cost to pull off. There were no street closures or other major expenses involved. Music was provided by the Gulf High Jazz Band. Although smaller, it drew a respectable crowd.
I like the idea of sidewalk events because it offers the opportunity for folks to wander into the neighboring stores (eg. Karens Gifts) while they are taking in the stuff on the sidewalks. We enjoyed the Art Walk with some friends and then walked over to Mezzaluna’s for lunch.
Also this past week, Main Street’s “Hospitality Management Association” started publicizing its plans for monthly street parties: https://www.facebook.com/whatsupdowntownNPR. I am hopeful this means that they will start taking advantage of the city’s investment in Railroad Square to build a series of “mini-events” that will draw folks downtown to dine and enjoy themselves.
There are quite a few events scheduled between now and the end of the year. No matter what your tastes, I’m pretty sure you’ll find something to do downtown on Saturdays.
Rob Marlowe, Mayor
I wonder if a sign on Main St like the ones saying “Your Speed’ might get the news of events more publicized? Just a thought. Roger
New Port Richey proudly displays the brand that something is always happening downtown. Events are affordable, and the setting is Florida perfect. The entrepreneur inside me wanted to run out and open a coffee shop and ice cream stand across the street from the Hacienda to capitalize on the many thousands of people that visited our charming town the past few weeks.
To those that can visualize a profit, I challenge you to take the risk and see the logic in locating a business not far from a park and historic hotel that is about to undergo $3.3 million in renovations. Successful entrepreneurs will say that their success came from an ideal location by investing early-on, before anyone realized the opportunity. New Port Richey is a very affordable community that cleans its streets, protects its citizens and educates with an award-winning library. If you don’t invest, someone else will and realize the benefits of this spirited community.
These smaller, low cost events can be a tremendous boon to the city. They tend to draw people from close by. These are the people that have a better chance of coming back to the downtown on a more frequent basis. But, over time these events can grow to draw people from other parts of the Bay Area. I know of several folks that travel from this area to monthly First Friday in St. Pete and First Friday and Third Saturday ArtWalks in Gulfport. They go there to enjoy the restaurants, sidewalk sales and other vendors that are a part of the event. With the great pubs, restaurants ( and the new fine dining restaurant opening soon) this is an exciting time for downtown NPR.
Hello Mayor Rob,
Love you blogs … and I’m in total agreement about not needing alcohol for sale in our parks or on our streets for people to enjoy these wonderful events. I would rescind that ordinance if I could.
Also am all for any and all art/culture related events in downtown and around Orange Lake and in the park. It’d be great to set up a schedule of such events from small to large and turn our lovely downtown into a destination for people looking for the charming and delightful!
Marilynn deChant
Beer trucks are on the agenda again tonight, this time for EcoFest. I’m not quite sure what the connection is between the environment and beer trucks, but my colleagues have indicated a willingness to have an unlimited number of alcohol fueled events in Sims Park.
It’s Big Storm brewery if I’m not mistaken, and as far as I know they don’t have a beer truck.
There’s a big difference between a Budweiser truck and a tent with a local craft brewery.
However, I would still urge you to vote no on the alcohol permit because it’s over the allotted limit for 2014. At the same time, EcoFest is one of the events that should have been allowed under the limit–it just came too late in the year and the City approved too many.
On the other hand, EcoFest could just, as I think many of us have suggested, sell alcohol on private property. Or, Big Storm could apply for a food truck type license with the City to sell alcohol from the street-side, but not a public park.
It’s a tough issue for me.
Meantime, while this moral debate rages–there are more pressing issues that demand Council’s (and our) attention. A crime increase of 10% between 2012 and 2013, for instance, or the slow progress of implementing the bike trail construction.
Plenty of other major issues to tackle.
Interestingly enough, the Friends of the Library was the “group supporting the city” that we were thinking about when we exempted that type of group from the numeric limit. It was sold under the idea of wine and cheese receptions in the library courtyard as opposed to beer in the park.