By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Main Street Warsaw is previewing the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday with its May First Friday theme.

The organization’s event is set for 5-8 p.m. Friday, May 6, in downtown Warsaw.

Not only does it kick off the 2022 First Friday season, but it’s Main Street Warsaw’s first time orchestrating the event following Paula Bowman’s longtime tenure as organizer.

Main Street Warsaw, formerly known as the Warsaw Community Development Corp., works to promote downtown Warsaw businesses. It’s under the umbrella of the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce and boasts the same staff.

Chamber President and CEO Rob Parker, who serves as Main Street’s executive director, said Friday’s event is “really just a kickoff to summer.”

“It’ll have some Mother’s Day themes to it,” he said. “LaunchPad, which is underneath the Chamber, will have a booth that will be doing Mother’s Day cards. And we’ve encouraged the downtown businesses to have something prepared for mothers, so that’s kind of where we want to go.”

“Come downtown, shop local and support local while you’re loving your mom,” Parker added.

A change Main Street is making to First Fridays is spreading activities across downtown instead of having them all near the Kosciusko County Courthouse lawn.

“So for this one we’re taking the music (provided by the band Decades) and we’re going to push it out to Indiana Street and Center Street,” said Parker. “G&G’s (Hauling & Excavating) bringing a trailer, so … we don’t have to mess with those big, heavy, bulky stage things.”

“It’s that kind of collaboration that we’re looking for to do something different, so that’ll be at one end and then we’ll go through to the middle where we’re going to have a (pop-up) putt-putt (golf) course and then on the far end  … (there will be) GoBabyGo!” he said.

GoBabyGo! is a project whereby Warsaw Community Schools’ students build vehicles to help kids with special needs get around.

“Buffalo Street coming in, well, we’re going to have a cruise-in sponsored by NAPA and Boggs Automotive, so it’s going to be great, just a cruise-in, come show off your car, your truck, your motorcycle, your RV, whatever,” Parker added. “And then what’s awesome, what’s really cool is our local restaurants are all putting picnic tables in front of their restaurants, so if it’s a good night, if the weather cooperates, come downtown, eat outside.”

There will also be a petting zoo and cornhole. The Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County will have some adoptable pets at the event, and the Chamber’s Young Adult Professionals (YAP) will be collecting pillows and sheets at the event as part of their ongoing collection drive for Fellowship Missions of Warsaw.

Parker said the goal of First Fridays is to bring people together.

“You get to know neighbors, you get to know friends, you see old faces, you make new friends, you know that’s the whole point of First Fridays,” he said. “We want to have enough things down there that are fun … but beyond that it’s supporting our local businesses, helping people to strengthen our community by coming down and meeting each other.”

He said Main Street really wants to have nonprofits and businesses have booths at First Fridays, even if they aren’t located downtown, and help sponsor the events.

“You don’t have to do it every time, but we’ve got everything listed out, all the responsibilities, the list of things to do to make it very simple … then you’re the ones that can be right in the middle, that can handle everything. It’s a great way to show how much you care for our community,” he said.

As for the team that is now putting together First Fridays, it includes Chamber staff as well as Cindy Dobbins and Kris Lake.

“We’re going to expand more as more people want to volunteer,” said Parker.

Looking forward to next month’s First Friday on June 3, Parker said the theme will be Warsaw’s Got Talent, with a talent show.

“And it’s going to be spread throughout the downtown with multiple different opportunities for people to showcase all kinds of talents, so that’ll be a lot of fun,” he said.

People may find the form to sign up for the talent show and learn more information about the show’s categories by visiting Main Street Warsaw’s Facebook page.

As for the rest of the First Friday schedule and themes throughout the year, they include:

• July 1 — Hometown Picnic
• Aug. 5 — Car Show
• Sept. 2 — Taste of Kosciusko
• Oct. 7 — Fall Festival
• Dec. 2 — Christmas Celebration

To sign up to have a booth or be a sponsor of First Fridays later this year, people should fill out a form, which they may find by clicking here. For more information, they can call 574-267-6311.