Board approves wide slate of downtown special-event street closures for spring through fall

City public-safety staff and the board approved a series of special-event permits and associated street closures for events scheduled from March through October.

Sgt. Adam Wilt of the Evansville Police Department reviewed permits and told the board the start of the year typically produces a cluster of recurring event requests. The board approved the University of Evansville's Purple Palooza on April 25 and the university's annual bike race on April 26; both requests included temporary street closures and barricades.

The board approved Tiki on Main closures for downtown pedestrian overflow tied to the OVC basketball tournament (March 7'8) and a Guns and Hoses event (April 12). Wilt noted that for-profit vendors sometimes provide their own barricades and that prior years' agreements emphasized weekend closures to minimize impact on downtown businesses.

River City Pride organizer Ashley Reister attended to clarify the festival and parade schedule. Reister asked for the festival footprint to be closed from 7 a.m. Saturday through 10 a.m. Sunday and said the parade would last about "an hour to 2 hours tops." Reister and police staff said the requested Second Street closure for Saturday is to accommodate growing event needs and backstage access for entertainers. The board approved the corrected River City Pride closure request.

The board approved other recurring events including the Over the Edge fundraiser on April 26, Pacemakers Car Club's hot-rod show on July 19, and multiple West Side Nut Club fall festival and parade events in October. Police and street crews will provide barricades and traffic control for city‑managed closures; Sgt. Wilt said the police department and street department coordinate barricade placement and event staffing.

All event permits listed in the agenda were approved by motion; board members recorded unanimous 'Aye' votes on each item during the meeting.