On the heels of this week's announcement that the Dunlop Street construction project will wrap up later this month comes the news that the Downtown Barrie Business Association (BIA) will be having a socially distanced celebration this weekend.
All it took was a question from Mayor Jeff Lehman on a phone call Wednesday and BIA executive director Kelly McKenna jumped at the chance to do the pop-up Open Air Dunlop event on Saturday, Nov. 7.
“We were on a call ... regarding the economic recovery for the city and I was filling the mayor in on the success of the Open Air campaign. He mentioned the great weather coming this weekend and that the patio extension was happening, so why not do a pop-up event?” McKenna told BarrieToday.
“It's short notice, but where there is a will, there's a way," she added.
The BIA held its Open Air Dunlop events over the course of four Saturdays, beginning Sept. 26.
At their Oct. 26 meeting, councillors approved the extension of the patio season. Patios Everywhere will run until Nov. 30, if weather conditions allow.
Construction is still happening west of the Five Points, so Dunlop Street will be closed to vehicle traffic from Clapperton Street to Mulcaster Street.
It was announced on Tuesday that the construction, which began in August 2019, will finish in a couple weeks, allowing traffic to flow through the downtown again, uninterrupted.
Downtown businesses have been hit hard this year with not just construction and road closures, but also with COVID-19 restrictions.
McKenna believes events like Open Air can only help businesses survive and persevere.
“We received such a great response from our shops and restaurants about how well they did at our last Open Air events,” she said. “But we also loved hearing how much the public loved it. We have received emails from people saying that they enjoyed strolling through the street with a coffee and taking in the music and sights.”
Dunlop Street will be closed from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. this Saturday.
