HUMBOLDT — Tomorrow will be a busy day in Humboldt, one that features live music, shopping, chalk art, food sales and a car show.
On Thursday, Aug. 19, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., the Downtown Business Improvement District is hosting Streetfest Lite in the city’s downtown core.
“It's kind of a reaction on our part to the situation with COVID, said Brent Fitzpatrick, the district’s executive director. “We were really reluctant to get the planning done for a large event with a very high risk of not being able to do it, so we left the planning for it for quite long.”
By the time the district was certain there’d be no COVID-19 restrictions, many of the food trucks that usually would come to a Streetfest were booked. As a result, the district’s board decided to offer a smaller version.
Businesses will be hosting sidewalk sales. There will be live music on the museum steps, with Graham Dyck performing at 12 p.m. and Walter Bushman performing at 5:15 p.m. There will be some food vendors and restaurants will be offering specials
“There's just something fun about watching people eating food on their lap listening to live music on a beautiful day in downtown Humboldt,” Fitzpatrick said.
There will also be a COVID-19 vaccine clinic from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the Humboldt and District Museum will be hosting a Community Chalk Art Day. People can create their very own piece of chalk art on the sidewalks of Humboldt, with this year’s theme being sending love from Humboldt.
Volunteers from the Humboldt Fire Department drone program will be capturing aerial images of the artworks throughout the day, and photographs and video will be shared on the museum’s website and social media.
Outside the downtown core, Futuristic Industries is hosting a barbeque and bake sale fundraiser from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their building on 629 Second Street. Items include smokies and a drink, baking and pies. There will also be an onsite raffle.
A&W will be hosting a car show, live music and children’s games from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. Graham Dyck will be performing. Money raised will go toward multiple sclerosis research. $2 from each teen burger sold will go toward that cause.
As for a dance for Streetfest, Fitzpatrick said that event is expensive, with stage, liquor license, security, tables, chairs and fencing costs exceeding $20,000.
“It's not just having a couple of people get up on the stage and start singing. It's a big deal, and it's very expensive to do,” he said. “That's just not a position that the downtown BID is prepared to enter into.”
Fitzpatrick said he’d be open to seeing another group or organization put on that event in the future.
