Ridgefield’s annual Main Street Day returns this Friday with all the music, dancing and community celebration that’s made it a summertime tradition. But this year, organizers are turning the spotlight toward history; specifically, the personal stories that help define the city’s unique identity.
The annual celebration will be held in downtown Ridgefield from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, July 11.
Ridgefield Main Street, a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing and preserving the historic downtown, has been active for over a decade. The organization is one of three designated Main Street communities in Clark County, working to strengthen local identity through preservation, beautification and by supporting small businesses.
The event was first proclaimed by former Mayor Don Stose in 2018 as a way to honor Ridgefield’s revitalized downtown. Since then, Main Street Day has grown into an annual tribute to the city’s small businesses, historic preservation and community volunteers.
“It’s a family-friendly, middle-of-the-day break in summer to come and enjoy downtown,” Marykay Lamoureaux, executive director of Ridgefield Main Street, said.
Visitors can expect live music, dancing and free Honu Shave Ice for the first 500 guests. Local merchants often participate with Main Street Day specials, while the Ridgefield Library will celebrate its building anniversary with crafts and rock painting for kids. The YMCA, Police Activities League, Ridgefield police and Clark County Fire & Rescue are also expected to attend with activities and displays.
Friday’s event will also mark the debut of Ridgefield Remembers, a new program designed to enhance the organization’s efforts to preserve not just buildings, but also memories.
“This year, what we’re doing is something called Ridgefield Remembers, and we want to hear people’s stories of Ridgefield,” Lamoureaux said. “We’re going to be working with the Historic Society ... to get people’s oral stories of their life in Ridgefield, past and present.”
Oral histories will be recorded on site during the event using professional equipment provided by the Ridgefield Historical Society. For now, the team is in the early collection phase, but Lamoureaux hinted at future plans.
“Some of those stories might turn into another historic storyboard,” she said. “Our (previous) storyboards were primarily stories of the buildings, or of things that happened, so it could be a good story that turns into a historic storyboard.”
For Lamoureaux, giving community members the spotlight is another way to bring storytelling and history to Main Street Day.
“Knowing people’s stories just enriches the sense of community that we experience in Ridgefield,” Lamoureaux said.
The event will also include a rededication of the newly updated “courtyard area,” formerly known as the Game Park, adjacent to 215 Pioneer St. The space, now outfitted with new tables, chairs and umbrellas, will serve as a hub for gathering during the event. A naming ceremony will take place as part of the rededication, according to Lamoureaux.
“Come down and have a summer lunch in downtown,” Lamoureaux added. “It’s just kind of fun for kids to see all that stuff.”
Main Street Day activities will be spread across Overlook Park, the courtyard and Davis Park, where the Friends of Ridgefield Community Library will host booths and activities celebrating the building’s completion in July 2021.
Readers can visit ridgefieldmainstreet.com for more information on Ridgefield Main Street and the nonprofit’s projects.
