Petition to keep Third Friday on Madison Street in Ottawa nears 1,200 signatures

Third Friday in Ottawa is scheduled to kick off its third year this April, but the city’s unwillingness to close Madison Street as it has in the past has caused uncertainty for the event’s future.

On the third Friday of each month, art vendors, music, food and live events are highlighted in the downtown event.

Open Spaces Art Gallery owner Amanda Weygand said the event drives foot traffic into businesses on a block that typically doesn’t see the pedestrian traffic the rest of the downtown sees. Interior Motives owner Julie Bowers, for example, counted a little less than 100 people walking through her doors at 222 W. Madison St. on one such Third Friday last year.

From the city’s perspective, closing a street costs money in the form of overtime pay for public works employees.

The city suggested other locations for Third Friday, such as the Jordan block and Washington Square, but Weygand said the point is to host a street fair that sheds light on the arts and the businesses operating on that street, including her business at 223 W. Madison St. Third Friday is meant to have a different feel from other events, such as Art in the Park.

Ottawa Community Thrift owner Leslie Mulderink said she’s seen more foot traffic on Third Fridays than the times when there’s festivals going on at the city’s parks. Mulderink said she’s stopped extending her hours at 226 W. Madison St. during other festivals because her block is just enough of a walk away visitors don’t make it over to her business.

“Whenever the Chris Kringle Market or a carnival is happening, I thought there’d be more people down there,” Mulderink said. “The first year I was open, I tried to have my shop open every hour the Chris Kringle Market was and it felt like a ghost town. This market gives our neighborhood an opportunity to highlight itself.”

Mulderink said the businesses on the main stretch see more benefit from events at the parks than the businesses on side roads.

“If it’s not in front of my business, then it’s not worth the money I’m putting into it in a sad way,” Weygand said. “Madison Street businesses don’t see the foot traffic from the other festivals at the Jordan block. People don’t want to walk back this far, so this event is really important for people on this street.”

Mulderink said the location can be important for artists: getting artwork into the public eye into a place where it can be sold is difficult. Part of her work at Ottawa Community Thrift is to provide artists a space to display art that doesn’t require payment.

“They need an avenue to show their art and several of our artists are the ones that never put themselves out there,” Mulderink said. “They’ve gotten the courage to set up at Third Friday and now they’ve all sold pieces.”

Mulderink said Third Friday, like her store, isn’t set up just to make a profit.

“It’s not something Amanda puts together to make money,” Mulderink said. “This woman is here to support and enrich our lives.”

Mayor Dan Aussem said the city doesn’t mind closing streets for events that happen once per year, but closing a street once per month for six months per year adds up.

“We made a lot of accommodations during the pandemic to allow outside dining, allow people to use public property and close off streets and parking lanes,” Aussem said. “What happened is in the last year we’ve had other businesses ask about closing down streets to have a car show by their bar, and the first one we did. Then we had some issues and denied a second one, and they brought up the fact that we let this guy do it.”

Aussem said it’s turned into a situation where allowing one person to close streeets for an event has sparked more requests. Washington Square or the Jordan block already have trash bins and picnic tables and preparing those sites are much easier than closing a street, he said.

Events such as the Starved Rock Marathon and the cruise night are conducted once per year, and require approval from the Illinois Department of Transportation.

“We have all these other properties available but they want it in front of the art gallery,” Aussem said. “We offered to close the parking lanes like we do at the Court Street Pub and Iniga Pizza, but they weren’t agreeable to that.”

Aussem said there are options available for Third Friday to continue, but Weygand’s concern is moving the event would be akin to starting over. Part of Third Friday’s brand involves Madison Street, she said.

As of Thursday afternoon, a change.org petition to keep Third Friday on Madison Street has been signed by 1,168 people, and Weygand along with other Ottawa residents plan on attending the City Council meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, to address the council.