Downtown Algonquin business group debuts wine walk as first event

More than one year after forming, the Downtown Algonquin Association will host its first event Aug. 17 with a wine walk that stops at more than a dozen downtown businesses.

With a “Grease” theme, participants are encouraged to dress in their best 1950s costumes. The Summer Lovin’ Wine Walk will have music and 1950s cars on the street with a “giant Elvis statue” for photo opportunities, said Cucina Bella co-owner Brittany Colatorti, who helped organized the event.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of greasers from the ‘Grease’ movie, and maybe some Pink Lady skirts, I’m hoping,” she said.

There will be 15 stops, with most on Main Street and others “off the beaten path,” including Texan BBQ and Port Edwards restaurants, Colatorti said. Each stop will have a red and white wine option. Other stops include Riverbottom Ice Cream, Bella’s Wood Fire Pizza and Cattleman’s Burger & Brews.

The Downtown Algonquin Association is a nonprofit created last year in hopes of reviving downtown after the village reconstructed Main Street as part of a $30 million downtown revitalization plan about six years ago.

The DAA is similar to a chamber of commerce, but it’s solely focused on Algonquin’s historic downtown district, Bold American Fare owner and DAA President Greg Geigel said. Colatorti hopes to draw about 150 people for the first event.

“It’s been a little bit of a challenge to get the word out because we are so new,” she said.

Geigel estimated that there are about 80 storefront businesses in the area, but the number could be double that with many people running small businesses from their homes.

“There’s a lot of smaller shops out there, so we think it’s important to continue to do them on Main Street to drive people to our businesses,” Colatorti said.

Community connection is one of the DAA’s biggest goals, Geigel said. Anyone can support the organization by volunteering and simply participating in the events.

“That money is going to be used to help vitalize downtown and help support those businesses,” he said. “The money is staying in downtown Algonquin.”

The DAA took a grassroots approach to create the wine walk by collaborating with neighboring businesses, from Makity Make owner Julie Callahan creating branded bags to property owner Paul Kopetsky promoting the event online.

“It takes a lot of effort to put on events,” Geigel said. “Those events, I think the community can all agree, are great. Someone’s got to do that work, and the DAA is the beginnings of trying to do more of that kind of stuff.”

The organization’s biggest challenge is getting enough volunteers to run events successfully, Geigel said.

“It’s harder and harder these days to get volunteers,” he said.

In the future, DAA members hope to host five to six downtown events a year and get to the point where they can be self-funded.

“We’ve all become friends and allies, and we’re always there to support each other,” Colatorti said. “It’s our little family.”

What to know if you go:

When: Saturday, Aug. 17

Hours:

• Check-in starts at 12:30 p.m.
• Wine walk is from 1 to 4 p.m.
• Costume contest and raffle drawing from 4 to 4:30 p.m. at Whiskey and Wine

Where: Check in at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 300 Jefferson St.

Cost: Early-bird online is $50 or day of is $60

Here is more information on the Downtown Algonquin Association and its Wine Walk: downtownalgonquin.com.