by Hannah MacLeod
The Municipality of Kincardine and Downtown Kincardine BIA have joined forces to bring the Promenade to downtown for the third year in a row.
The first Promenade took place on Sunday, June 3, from 10a.m-4p.m., and will reoccur every weekend until Labour Day weekend.
The Promenade came to fruition with the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020, however business owners noticed a large increase in sales, so it was decided to continue the event despite the rules of the pandemic becoming more relaxed.
“It emerged out of Covid, when a lot of the businesses were closed and they could only have on-street dining, or limited to the number of people who could be inside the stores,” said Cherie Leslie, the Community Economic Development Co-ordinator. “So we opened up the street to allow people to dine and shop more safely. A lot of the businesses down here have said it helped their sales, so that’s why we want to keep doing it.”
The event closes off the main street to vehicular traffic, allowing for pedestrians to explore the downtown, and businesses to move their store outside.
Unlike in previous years, this year the closed off roads will only include between Durham Market St., N to Lambton St.
Many in Kincardine had concerns with the event, including the length of time the Promenade lasted – in previous years it had run from Friday until Sunday. Accessibility concerns led the municipality to offer free walkers and wheelchairs last year, and this year they have added in “drop-off zones”, and creating more accessible parking. Downtown residents can also pick up parking passes to ensure they can get into their parking lots while the street is closed.
The post First Promenade of the summer well attended appeared first on Kincardine Independent.
