Thursdays Downtown adding dates, starting earlier in 2022

Thursdays Downtown is set to kick off earlier than usual this year.

The Rochester Downtown Alliance, which organizes the weekly summer street festival, announced Wednesday it would be adding two extra dates to the calendar — moving the series opener up to June 16.

“After discussions with stakeholders, our board of directors, and past Thursdays Downtown vendors, it became clear our community desires more events this summer to bring us together after a long winter,” said Kanika Couchene, RDA’s director of events and strategic partnerships.

Vendors and businesses interested in being involved in Thursdays Downtown can begin applying now, the RDA said. More info on that here.

This will be the first year Thursdays Downtown will held, in part, on the reconstructed Peace Plaza. The event series runs through August 18.

Free entry to Chester Woods

With sunshine on our mind, here is another note for people looking to get outside this spring/summer.

On Tuesday, the Olmsted County Board voted to no longer charge admission fees to Chester Woods Park.

The board had suspended admission costs in December to encourage people to use the park during a peak in the pandemic. Their vote this week makes that change permanent.

Cover photo courtesy the RDA