Main Street Waterbury….The Center of It All! That’s exactly what is happening down here. We are the center for events and activities. As the year winds down, it’s time to take a look at the many events that occurred in downtown Waterbury recently as well as those yet to come.

On October 21, we celebrated the first annual Brass City Brewfest. This was a fund raising event for Main Street Waterbury. Our major sponsors were the Waterbury Development Corporation, the Waterbury Regional Chamber and the Northwest Connecticut Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Mountview Plaza Wines and Liquor hosted the event.

Over 180 microbrews and international beers, being poured by over 50 brewers, were available to be sampled. The attendance exceeded 650 and the results exceeded everyone’s expectations. We looked at the demographics of those who attended and found representation from all of the New England States as well as people from Virginia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and Washington D.C. The great thing about this event is that many who came stayed in our local hotels and ate in our restaurants. The general consensus is that we have to bring this event back next year.

The Brewfest, coupled with the Yankee Invention Expo at the Armory, the Classical Mystery Tour featuring the Waterbury Symphony Orchestra and Beatlemania at the Palace, the 5K Road Race and several other events helped cap off a great weekend in October.

The following Friday saw the third annual Mardi Gross Halloween event in Downtown Waterbury. Attendance records were broken again this year and the Downtown Merchants did not disappoint the thousands of young costumed children. With the weather holding off just long enough to get the event in, many enjoyed the skating demonstration by Roller Magic, face painting, horse drawn hayride, Waterbury Police Van tours, Fire Truck, haunted graveyard, haunted hay maze, costume parade, and all the many candy stations. The Downtown Merchants, the volunteers, many of whom were Uconn students, and the sponsors who donated candy, are to be commended for a spectacular job. It was great to see so many children and parents downtown on a Friday night.

We wrapped up a very successful season of the Farmer’s Market on the Green.

Every Thursday this past summer and right on through last month, we had farmers, chef demonstrations, entertainment and much more. October 12 actually featured the first annual Apple Pie Baking contest. About 50 apple pies were entered by bakers from Waterbury but mostly the surrounding towns. How great it was to see all these bakers and smell that wonderful baked pie aroma on the Green that day.

On November 10, the long awaited Palace Theater marquee will be unveiled. This promises to be an exciting night with local entertainment by several reunited local bands and full of anticipation on seeing the state of the art marquee lit for all to enjoy.

November 24 is the Tree Lighting Celebration on the Green. Phase III of our holiday decorating update will be unveiled and the tree will have new lights, ornaments and tree topper. In addition, the light poles on the Green will be adorned with new pole wraps and bow ties. What a beautiful picture Downtown Waterbury will make this holiday season.

There is one very important event coming up on December 6, 2006 at 5:30 at the Palace Theater. Main Street Waterbury will be celebrating our third anniversary as a designated Main Street Community. We are asking all volunteers, donors, stakeholders, and Board Members to attend and bring a volunteer with you.

We are always looking for new volunteers and people who share our vision about revitalizing Downtown Waterbury. There will be a brief speaking program and display of our accomplishments to date. We encourage you to come.

Eat Your Art Out 2007 is scheduled for Thursday March 22, 2007. This will be the third annual chef competition held in Downtown Waterbury. The event will be at the Connecticut State Armory on Field Street. More chef entries, demonstrations, entertainment, and exhibits will be on hand. Please add this to your calendar.

Finally, a note about Main Street Waterbury. As you can tell, all of our volunteers have been working extremely hard this past year to make Downtown Waterbury a better place to shop, dine, see a show and live. We’ve made progress. But there’s much more to do. Our litter issues still exist. Those who are indifferent to our progress continue to have their way and soil our downtown with little or no fear of the consequences. We’re doing our part. With all these events and many more, we are binging people from around our region and beyond to Downtown Waterbury. We need to redouble our efforts to make this place Clean, Safe, and Friendly. We need your help! Call the Police when you witness people littering. Do Not Give Money to Panhandlers! Call the Police and report them. If you see litter on the ground, please pick It up and throw it in the proper receptacles. Working together, we can all make a huge difference.
Here are the top ten litter trouble spots this month:

10. Brook Street – pizza paper plates and soda cups
9. Phoenix Ave and E. Main Street – general litter
8. West Main Street – from Railroad tracks to Meadow. – general litter
7. Center Street on the Corner of Bank – debris left from parked cars.
6. Church and West Main – litter left by those waiting for the bus
5. Bank Street Near the City Styles building – debris from a fraying billboard atop the building continues to blow down on the street and adds to the rest of the litter swirling around in this area.
4. West Main – between Central Avenue and Willow
3. South Main – from Union towards the Exchange
2. Corner of S. Main and E. Main to Brook Street – same old same old…never improves. The gauntlet of bus riders leave the litter where they stand. It is witnessed daily….let’s not deny it!!
1.Meadow Street – in front of the Temp Labor. Litter left by those waiting for temporary work. Very seldom cleaned by the business or the building owner.

That’s it for this month. I’ll have more to report on our efforts for a Special Service District and other activity in December. If you are interested in helping our efforts to revitalize downtown, please give me a call at 203-757-0701 ext. 302 or send me an email at crosa@mainstreetwaterbury.com