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Organizer seeks council approval for third annual Nature & Nurture Maker’s Market at McCullough Park
Summary
Tricia Ross asked Salem City Council to support a downtown makers market that drew thousands last year; she submitted the city events application and is seeking departmental sign-offs so council can vote on the permit at a coming meeting.
Tricia Ross, a downtown shop owner and organizer of the Nature & Nurture Maker’s Market, asked Salem City Council on July 1 for the council’s support to hold the event in McCullough Park this year.
Ross told the council she has run the market for two years and that last year it “brought a few thousand” visitors from “Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Akron, Canton, West Virginia, all over,” and that the event pairs veteran makers with youth “kidpreneurs.” She said she submitted the city’s new events application last week and is awaiting final department sign-offs before heavily marketing this year’s show.
The request matters to downtown businesses because Ross said visiting customers have returned more than once, used local restaurants and Airbnbs, and helped increase foot traffic during alumni and other downtown weekends. She asked that the market be kept on the McCullough Park side of Lundy Avenue to reduce street crossings and recommended closing the McCullough Park parking lot so an Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) outreach truck could drop off an archery display overnight.
Law Director (staff member) confirmed the procedural path for special events governed by the city’s event ordinance: once required department heads sign off, the service director forwards the application with a recommendation to council for a roll-call vote at a regular meeting. Council members and staff suggested placing the item on the agenda for the council meeting on July 8 so members could act after outstanding departmental approvals.
Ross said she is also seeking possible tourism grant support and that several community organizations and attractions (Birchfield Historical Society, Beaver Creek Wildlife Education Center, Smucker House and others) plan programming for the market. She said vendors this year would include a walk-in butterfly exhibit and raptor and reptile displays, and that she will keep the market footprint on one side of Lundy Avenue for safety.
No formal council vote was taken on July 1. Council members voiced support and asked staff to place the completed application and department sign-offs on the next agenda so the council could vote on the permit at a regular meeting.
Ross closed by asking for the council’s support and for help spreading the word if the event is approved.
