Eric Bartkus Lowell City Council

I have really enjoyed seeing the growth in downtown events the past few years. My wife and I have helped by bringing the Ability Weavers purpose to the Riverwalk festivals, Markets on Main and Christmas Through Lowell. We also hosted a Weaving Fair in the downtown on Riverside Drive for the past three years which was well attended.

Beryl and I have volunteered the last 2 months to organize the Artisan Market at the Fallasburg Village Celebration today. The entire event was a fantastic success! The Market was a new aspect of the Celebration that hopefully will grow next year. We spent a good bit of time in selecting and helping the 30 vendors, advertising on social media, and setting up the location. I enjoyed demonstrating rug weaving on the antique loom in the Fallas House and taught a number of young adults how to weave. Lots of crafts from other local artisans were available and everyone had a lot of fun. The hard work of everyone on the Celebration team really made for a great day in Lowell!

I will continue working to bring people and events to town. There is a lot of enthusiasm here for enhancing the city. We have good facilities in the Creekside pavilion and the Showboat stage which could be utilized more.

The current council did an excellent job of supporting the recent triathlon and approving the Flat River kayak rentals. Some other ideas for new events include a woodworking weekend (my favorite), dance competitions, pickleball and other sports tournaments, and many others. What event would you like to see in Lowell?

Some ways the city council can help are below:

1) Be open and helpful to those trying new events.

2) Explore sources of seed money to help new events.

3) Keep event fees and insurance requirements reasonable.

4) Approve city space and road closures for events.

5) Work with the Chamber of Commerce to continue promoting Lowell as a great event destination.

6) Continue supporting the Thursday night concerts (thru the DDA).

Please send me your comments or questions. Thanks for reading, Eric B