Happy Mother’s Day!
City Hosts Special Mother’s Day Weekend
by Anne Mooney / May 6, 2020
May 8 – 10, the City is hosting a special Mother’s Day weekend of socially-distanced restaurant dining and limited retail therapy.
Streets Closed for Distance Dining and Shopping-Withdrawal Relief
To facilitate safe outdoor dining, portions of Park Ave., Morse Blvd. and New England Ave. will be closed to vehicular traffic from 4:00 pm Friday, May 8, to 11:00 pm Sunday, May 10.
Park Ave. from Swoope to Fairbanks
New England Ave. between Pennsylvania and Virginia Ave.
Morse Blvd. between Center St. and New York Ave.
All Shops & Restaurants May Participate
Outdoor shopping and dining is not limited to Park Ave. and Hannibal Square, however. Any retail store or restaurant within the City limits may apply for a permit from the City to extend their business outside. The permit is good only through the weekend.
Restaurants and shops must maintain the 6-foot required distance between patrons outside and limit inside occupancy to 25 percent of capacity.
Mini-Sidewalk Sales
Retail shops must also adhere to the 25-percent-capacity rule, but they may also have a single merchandise rack or table on the sidewalk outside the shop.
Each business will bear the responsibility of ensuring its customers meet social distancing requirements at all times. “As we continue to take methodical steps to reopen the City following the State guidelines, we are hosting this special weekend to help our business community and to give the public a chance to support our local businesses and celebrate Mother’s Day,” said Assistant City Manager Michelle Neuner.
Thanks for all you do to keep unequivocally informed.
It is truly appreciated!
Yeah…Take your mom or your grandmom to Park Ave to celebrate her LAST Mother’s Day. Covid 19 has not run it’s course. You may not be vulnerable, but she probably is. When your best hope is that others will police their behavior according to best infectious disease guidelines, maybe loving Mom and Grandma means staying away.
This just awesome!
Bringing life and activity back to our Park Avenue!!!
I agree with Maureen ! Let’s safely get back to living and enjoying our outdoors and supporting our restaurants and retail shops. There are businesses and livelihoods that are suffering too. Let’s keep a balance of safety and surviving economically.
Any merchant who can give away free Lysol or Clorox wipes or bottles (any size) of hand sanitizer will have to beat the shoppers off with a stick. You cannot find these things in grocery stores. It’s a great time to open retail again- not to mention dining in close quarters.
This Mother’s Day event is hard for me to believe. Who approved this activity? Will the police all be called to enforce the distancing? What data was used to decide that it was time for a giant event in Park Ave? Will there be a limit in number of participants; how could that be enforced?
I am completely in sympathy with the businesses. The lessening of the controls may be a good idea, but this is mass activity is not wise, in my opinion.
The Easter Egg roll will be replaced with the Toilet Paper roll.
I wish there would be street closings like this post-COVID-19. Open parking spaces on all floors of the parking garages to the public.
Once Park Avenue is pedestrians only even the merchants will happy. What’s one or two blocks to walk. Think NYC or any big city.