As chairman of our recent Discover Downtown Westbrook first-ever Winter Fest at the Falls, I’d like to give a heartfelt thanks to the citizens of Westbrook for support of this inaugural winter event held Saturday, Feb. 22, in the heart of our downtown.
We have now reached 40 years since the end of Urban Renewal, and many in the community are aware of our constant struggles to improve our downtown image. Great events like the Chamber of Commerce’s Halloween on Main Street and unplanned promotional opportunities like our seemingly now-repeating Ice Disc are critical to that success. And now, the city should indeed be proud that nearly 750 Winter Fest attendees descended upon an under-utilized open space in the heart of Westbrook’s downtown in the middle of winter – many even from neighboring communities. It’s certainly not every day one can ride a giant Mt. Everest slide seen for miles away, take a horse-drawn carriage ride or toast marshmallows in any downtown in America.
In John O’Hara’s many years of service on the Westbrook City Council, he constantly challenged our community to find the next “Halloween on Main Street” – a public gathering not only for our own citizenry, but as a destination event for visitors. I truly believe we have now sown the seed for former Councilor Ohara’s wish to come true – as our Discover Downtown Westbrook team was able to create a wintertime spirit and energy in the heart of our downtown not seen in decades.
Many thanks to the event planners and volunteers, Westbrook Public Services, the Westbrook Trailblazer Snowmobile Club, our many sponsors led by the Rock Row development team, and many local businesses either directly part of the event or our “business passport” portion of it. Some were even new supporters of Discover Downtown Westbrook, such as North Point Realty and the new Istanbul Restaurant. We received feedback from other businesses wishing they could have been included as well – a clear sign of the future potential of this event.
In the four decades since Saccarappa Park was created, this may have the largest gathering of citizens and visitors to come together within its boundaries. Our inaugural Winter Fest at the Falls event shows the indisputable potential for the thoughtful creation of a curated, multi-seasonal community pavilion where events like this can become the norm and not the exception. The potential is there, and with the right vision, spirit and collaboration, we can create a downtown destination attractant unlike any other in Maine. And fittingly – where the first settler activity in the Westbrook area was recorded nearly 300 years ago in 1729 – at the breathtaking Saccarappa Falls.
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