Families gathered at Central Park in downtown Mansfield for the first annual Downtown Mansfield, Inc. (DMI) Family Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 12. Not only did the event serve as an opportunity for families to enjoy one another’s company in the crisp autumn air, but it also helped raise funds for the DMI Business Disaster Relief Fund.
Co-Director of DMI, Jamie Thompson, stated in reference to the fund, “It will be used for businesses that have some sort of disaster, and it will allow us to help them preserve their buildings.”
One example she noted of a local business that suffered from a disaster was Johnson Brother’s Jewelry and Loan. In August of this year, the building experienced damage from a fire. Coney Island also suffered from a disaster when about 18 months ago, a pipe froze and the building’s interior was water damaged.
The guidelines for this grant program are still being finalized, Thompson stated.
Terri Herlihy helped coordinate the event. As a friend of Eric and Rhonda Johnson of Johnson Brother’s Jewelry and Loan, she was encouraged to help organize the event in support of the Johnson’s business, along with other local businesses that have suffered from a natural disaster.
Herlihy is owner of Herlihy-Chambers Funeral Home on Park Ave West.
She said that she enjoys organizing fundraisers for good causes like this.
Among those who visited the event was Chad McWilliams, who brought his family out for a fun day in the park. He also displayed his ’94 Silverado “Air Ride” for the car show, which he stated has been in his possession for the past eight years.
For more information about the Business Disaster Relief Fund, go to www.downtownmansfield.com, or call 419-522-0099.
