Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
City outlines First Fridays lineup, confirms stage permits and rolling closure for Memorial Day Mile
Loading...
Summary
City staff presented the First Fridays monthly event lineup (May–October), said a different stage setup will be used for the July 'Star Stripes and Symphony' evening event, and confirmed the Memorial Day Mile will use temporary rolling closures after longtime volunteer organizers stepped back.
Columbia City staff presented the First Fridays schedule and related street-closing permits at the Board of Works and Safety meeting on April 14, describing monthly themes and special logistics for summer events.
Nikki (speaker S3) detailed the lineup: May will feature "Touch a Truck," June a motorcycle/car show (no stunts, vehicles to park), July will be "Star Stripes and Symphony" shifted to a Thursday to avoid competing with fireworks at Warshas Park, August a carnival on the square, September a "Game On" theme with outdoor games, October a fall-themed event. Nikki said event organizers are coordinating a stage timeline with "principal Mullet" and that the July stage will differ from prior months.
Board members cautioned that temporary event stages are subject to state regulation after incidents involving mobile stages elsewhere; the board discussed the need for a separate event-stage permit and confirmation of entertainment-event permitting requirements.
On a related permit issue, the presiding official noted a retroactive street-closing permit for parking spaces in front of 207 Van Buren Street to regularize prior approval. For the Memorial Day Mile, the board heard that volunteer organizers Joanne Byrd and Gary have stepped back and that the race will use a moving, temporary closure (a rolling escort) rather than a static full closure.
Staff said they have applied for event permits for the different stage setups and will submit separate applications where required. The board did not take a final vote on event permits at the meeting but clarified that organizers must follow state stage rules and complete the appropriate permit filings.
The board asked staff to continue coordinating permits, finalize stage timelines with school staff and confirm any state-level stage permits required before major summer events.
