GALION — The Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the return of Third Fridays In Galion (TFIG) in Uptowne Galion on Friday, June 17.
TFIG is an opportunity for the Galion community to gather Uptowne and support local Galion merchants. In 2022, TFIG events will be held the third Friday of the month, June through September.
“We started Third Fridays in 2017 and our goal has always been to give the community a reason to come out and really enjoy the niche businesses we have in the Uptowne Galion,” said Chamber Executive Director Miranda Jones. “We thrilled to bring Third Fridays back for the 6th year and are hoping they will continue to be a success for our community and our businesses.”
However, the event will kick off this Friday, June 17th from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. in a new area. Due to the renovation project the City of Galion has currently around the Park Square Gazebo, we have flipped the events to the south quadrants of the square. You will now find the Main Stage outside of Central Hotel and vendors set up along South Market and in the parking areas south of Harding Way. Once the Park Square Renovation project is complete, we will move the events back to Gazebo area.
“With the Park Square Renovation project, we needed to relocate the June events and potentially July as well,” explained Jones. “We are thrilled with the project and hope that our future Third Friday events will help showcase the completed renovations.”
In previous years, retailers in the Uptowne Galion area stayed open late to offer sales, restaurants offered food and drink specials. Registered vendors also set up in designated spaces located around the square. The only section of street that will be blocked off will be South Market at the Square to the alley that runs behind the old US Bank building, Quays, and Central Hotel. Vendors set up in the parking spaces blocked off outside of Phillips Family Chiropractic and Flourish Boutique. The main stage for entertainment will be outside Central Hotel and the food trucks will be located on South Market.
“Our goal is for people to drive through town and see the people at the square, the road blocked off to South Market, hear the music from the bands on the stage and wonder what is going on,” Jones said. “We want them to stop or circle back around to check out the festivities and shop local here Uptowne Galion.”
For many of the local stores, the real benefit for them is the recognition and awareness that comes from people seeing them open. The success may come weeks or months later when people are planning for purchases of things like clothing, custom gifts, or antiques and they remember the unique store they visited for Third Fridays.
The event also gives people awareness of the revitalization efforts in the Uptowne district.
“We have people stop in or call the office all the time to get information about new businesses coming into Galion. Many of them are surprised at how much the Uptowne area has grown the past few years,” Jones said. “That’s what we hope to continue to see as the outcome of these Third Fridays. It’s a chance for people to really see the what’s there, what’s coming to Galion and get excited about it.”
The entertainment lineup for the June 2022 TFIG event includes Barb Scott from the Bucyrus Public Library with Music, Movement and More at 5pm, the band Tightrope, playing hits from the 1960’s through the 2000’s from 6pm to 8pm and a Princess Sing-A-Long at 7pm with Anna and Elsa!
If anyone is interested in becoming a Third Friday in Galion vendor or sponsor, they can contact Miranda Jones at the Chamber office, 419-468-7737 or via email mjones@galion-crestlinechamber.org.
