WARSAW — A plan to transform the 100 block of North Buffalo Street into a festival street is one of three projects that could soon be part of a large grant application being sought by city leaders.

An open house late Wednesday afternoon showcased three designs for the festival street, which would raise the street elevation and eliminate curbs on both sides of Buffalo Street across from the Kosciusko County Courthouse.

Such a design would create a large pedestrian-friendly area that would accommodate additional outdoor seating and a space for large festivals.

All three options would reduce the amount of parking by a handful of spaces, but that did not result in concern by affected businesses, in part, because of separate plans by the city and county to construct a nearby parking garage.

The designs presented by Anderson Bohlander were very similar but varied in the way on-street parking was included.

One design included a performance stage on the southeast corner of the courthouse square.

One idea would incorporate gates at the end of the block that can be lowered to close off the street for festivals.

The designs also included street lighting options, additional trees and banners.

Nate Callithen, who lives in downtown and is a member of Ride Walk Kosciusko County, was one of about 15 people to attend the 5 p.m. meeting after Main Street Warsaw hosted several sessions earlier in the day with stakeholders.

"I really like the idea of a festival street. Pedestrianizing downtown is really important to drive the growth of downtown, not just from a liveliness, cultural perspective, but economically," Callithen said.

He said he thinks it will spur more development and lead to more foot traffic.

"I think it's a good first step," he said.

The open house was the latest in a series of events used to gauge community input.

Proposals for the cultural arts district were unveiled last fall, and the festival street is viewed as the most popular, said Main Street Warsaw's Downtown Development Director Terry Sweeney.

Sweeney said they’re working to quickly submit a state grant request in hopes of tapping into some of the $65 million made available through the state's READI 2.0 program, which is supported with money from Lilly Endowment for arts and cultural development.

Plans for a park with interactive artwork were also unveiled Wednesday and would be near the east-west railroad tracks on South Buffalo Street, but some people at the open house questioned the location and the need.

The application could also include plans for a multi-use art space in the old First Christian Church across the street from the county Justice Building, which is owned by the county and is in need of significant repairs.

Sweeney said if they are awarded grant money for the festival street, it would be combined with money from the city, the private sector, and philanthropic sources.

The presentation did not include cost estimates.

The deadline for the grant application is April 15.

The money would not require a matching grant and is open to all communities across the state, Sweeney said.

Officials hope to find out this summer if they will receive funding.

The post Proposed festival street in Warsaw would add more seating for outdoor dining appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — It appears the Kosciusko County Farmers and Artisans Market will likely remain in downtown Warsaw.

Two of the organizers said they felt blindsided recently when a plan to renew the annual street closing for the summer-long program was delayed after some city officials expressed an interest in looking at whether it should be relocated out of the downtown because of the inconvenience of street closings.

Within a matter of days, two petitions, including one online, were organized to underscore the market’s popularity.

At the same time, Main Street Warsaw and the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce reached out to 34 merchants in downtown Warsaw to gauge their thoughts on whether the market should remain on Center Street in front of the Kosciusko County Courthouse.

Parker said 34 stakeholders said they support the market remaining on Center Street, and one opposed, including part of Buffalo Street as part of the overall closure.

Parker said he does not support closing Buffalo during the ongoing construction along Indiana Avenue, which is part of a major exterior renovation by Lake City Bank that’s expected to continue into the summer.

Talk of the annual plan to approve the closure of streets for the market was tabled earlier this month after some questions arose about whether merchants see the market as a plus on Saturday mornings despite the street closings.

Parker said the survey provides convincing evidence that the market should stay in the downtown.

Parker said Main Street Warsaw and the chamber have always supported the market in its existing location.

"We believe very strongly, have always believed, that it's beneficial to have that happen in the downtown on Saturday mornings because it draws people to the downtown," Parker said.

"We're going to work hard to make sure it moves forward and not delay it any further," he said.

But he cautions that the survey focused on Center Street and not Buffalo Street, which he said needs to remain open in light of part of Indiana Avenue being closed due to a Lake City Bank construction project.

Lisa Hawley and Josh Fox, the market’s co-directors, talkd with News Now Warsaw shortly after Parker shared his findings and were cautiously optimistic, despite some lingering anger over how the issue surfaced.

"It's great, but I don't think it's over. I think the city council will come after the market after this year to be moved," Hawley said.

"It sounds good if it truly is," Fox said. "I guess time will tell. My gut says there might be a hidden agenda in there. I don't know.

The city board of works will address the issue at its meeting on March 6.

The board of works often welcomes input from the city council and the chamber on a range of issues.

A specific relocation plan has not been proposed, but some, over the years, have suggested Central Park would be a good option.

The market used to operate at the Kosiusko County Fairgrounds but moved to downtown about 13 years ago.

Despite having competition from a similar market in Winona Lake, the Warsaw market has continued to do well and saw traffic increase last year.

In fact, more vendors began using Buffalo Street (between Market and Center streets) last year, and it was further bolstered by Krista Brown, the owner of Maggie's Coffee and Treats, who helped organize a "cars and coffee" promotion that attracted classic car owners to downtown.

Parker said he thinks some city council members wanted to pause it to evaluate whether there was a better option.

He said he believes opinions from his survey provide a "solid footing" for elected officials to make informed decisions rather than “knee-jerk decisions” based on a few opinions.

Negative opinions often stand out, he said, because most people who like something are less inclined to be vocal about it.

Brown said she thinks the Main Street survey sends a strong message.

"People in the community want the market to stay where it is, and they're happy with it," Brown said.

The post Farmers Market sees strong support for remaining in downtown Warsaw appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — A downtown Warsaw business owner who has been heavily invested in downtown activities is speaking out against a $30,000 study that will look more closely at the idea of a festival street.

Attorney Travis McConnell conveyed his concerns in a letter to the editor to the Times-Union. The letter, titled "Yet Another Study, can be read here.

"We've had festivals in Warsaw for over 100 years," McConnell said. "I don't think we need to pay to study how to have festivals."

McConnell said he'd rather see money used for less expensive improvements, such as the installation of permanent tie-downs needed to support large festival tents.

Construction of a festival street is one of many pitched by a consultant who assembled a collection of ideas that would be part of a cultural arts district aimed at attracting more people into the downtown business district.

Renovation of a portion of a roadway for a festival street (Officials have mentioneed part of North Buffalo Street but no decision has beeen made) would turn it into a large flat surface void of curbs to accommodate festival events that are normally held along part of Center and Buffalo streets near the Kosciusko County Courthouse and would be an alternative to having to close off streets for each festival.

 If there is community support for cultural improvements, then we already have the local voices, plans, and momentum to act without paying an outside firm, McConnell wrote.

"And if there isn’t community support for a festival street, then we certainly shouldn’t spend $30,000 on a consultant for it either," he wrote.

Earlier this month, the Warsaw Redevelopment Commission approved a request to spend $30 on a study of the issue.

Top issues involve the location cost.

McConnell conceded that a study might be necessary to open the door for grant money to help fund the project, if approved.

He said he thinks a better understanding of public sentiment on the issue is important and that determining that level of support should happen before spending $30,000.

The topic of some kind of improved festival space has been touched on in at least one report and at least one public conversation hosted by Main Street Warsaw.

Officials with Main Street Warsaw and the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce have said they plan to provide more details about the festival street concept soon.

The post Supporter of downtown Warsaw festivals questions need for new study appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — The city of Warsaw is moving quickly on one of the proposals pitched last month as officials work to establish a cultural arts district in the downtown.

On Monday — less than three weeks after the entire plan was unveiled — the city redevelopment commission approved plans to hire a firm to study the idea of establishing a festival street, which would transform part of a downtown road into a flat surface that can more easily accommodate festivals.

The redevelopment commission agreed to spend $30,000 for the study with Anderson Bohlander to look further at the concept.

The plan was pitched by Terry Sweeney, Main Street Warsaw's downtown development director, who also recapped four new programs that were launched in 2025.

Officials are currently eyeing part of North Buffalo Street as a potential location for the festival street, and the study will likely look at where it might be best to make the transformation.

Some officials have said North Detroit Street seems optimal for the project since it is near Center Lake and a proposed city-county parking garage.

The idea of a street festival is one of the biggest proposals that make up an expansive plan to add more artwork and amenities aimed at attracting more people to the downtown.

Main Street Warsaw has been studying the idea of a cultural arts district, which was fueled in part by a new Hyatt Palma Study, commissioned during former mayor Joe Thallemer's term in office.

No kind of cost estimate has been released because it's very preliminary, but officials admit it is an ambitious plan that would be costly.

Jeremy Skinner, the city's community and economic development director, talked about the vision Monday afternoon.

"Yes, there's a lot of money that would have to be found, but we can't find the money until we know what we're looking for. There's a lot of groundwork that needs to be done," Skinner said. "It's gonna take time, and it's not gonna happen overnight."

"We got a pretty good start here and a lot of good things that came out of the plan," Skinner added.

You can see the entire conversation from Monday's meeting with Sweeney's presentation at the 18:00 mark.

The post Warsaw begins work on studying festival street concept for downtown appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce President Rob Parker said he believes establishing a cultural arts district is key to continued growth in downtown Warsaw.

The proposal, outlined a week ago by Main Street Warsaw, includes numerous proposals of varying size and costs, and is aimed at bringing more people to the downtown and boosting the quality of life in ways to boost economic development.

Main Street Warsaw hopes to tap into money through the state and be funded by Lilly to help finance some of the projects, some of which could be announced over the coming months.

The emphasis on public art is geared toward feeding off the concept of a "creative economy."

“We believe very strongly in the creative arts economy, whether that’s musicians or artists or graphic designers or even restaurateurs, or chefs — they’re very creative — and they come up with things that help our economy grow. We want those in our downtown. We need art in our downtown. It really reflects the heart of the community,” Parker said earlier this week for a taping of In The Know, the public affairs show you can hear this weekend on Kensington Digital Media radio stations.

He’s especially keen on plans to create a festival street — possibly on North Buffalo near the proposed parking garage and the edge of Center Lake.

The idea is to revamp a portion of the street into a flat surface without curbs to allow for seating, pedestrians, and festival activities. It would become a home to festival activities in the downtown instead of having to close off parts of Center and Buffalo streets for each festival event.

“This would enable us to have a street that is dedicated to foot traffic and events, and that’s what I’m super excited about,” Parker said.

The plan is being driven by Terry Sweeney, director of downtown development for Main Street Warsaw, which relied on recommendations based on community input collected earlier this year by a consultant, Designing Local.

Parker also talked about his ten years at the helm of the Chamber and its recent community award from the state chamber that salutes the entire county for strong collaborative leadership, economic diversification, and focus on enhancing quality of life.

*  *  * 

In The Know can be heard at the following times:

News Now Warsaw (99.7 FM and 1480 AM):

Fridays at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Saturdays at 7 a.m. 

Sundays at 7 a.m. & 2 p.m.

WRSW (107.3):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

Willie (103.5 FM):

Sundays at 6 a.m.

The post Chamber CEO Rob Parker says cultural arts district key to growth appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Main Street Warsaw on Wednesday unveiled an extensive list of proposals that would be part of the Downtown Warsaw Cultural Arts District.

The plan is a result of research and input from the public and support via past proposals and was discussed in detail on Wednesday in front of a wide variety of community leaders.

Several entities have endorsed the idea of establishing a cultural district plan 

Suzie Light, a longtime supporter of pubic art, thanked former mayor Joe Thallemer for helping organize a group meeting with the Indiana Arts Commission to learn more bout the potential economic gain through what is called a "creative economy."

"The overall arching strategy in this plan is to invest in creative infrastructure ... to sustain long-term growth," Light said.

* * *

The entire proposal is 86 pages, and
Specific details are recapped in the second half.

* * *

All of the ideas are attempts to “activate, beautify, and connect,” said Josh Lapp, a co-founder of Designing Local, which assembled the plan.

The overall idea is to use more art and cultural activities to boost downtown traffic and growth.

Proposals include large and small projects, and Terry Sweeney, director of downtown development with Main Street Warsaw, said they’re relying on different groups to take the lead as well as a variety of funding sources. One of the bigger sources of money could be  the Northeast Indiana Regional Development Authority.

No timetable was set, and officials admit that not all the plans will come to fruition.

While some of the proposals would be expensive, Sweeney said some of the smaller, less expensive ideas could come together rather quickly.

“We’re gonna get right after it, trying to get things started to be implemented, trying to chase funding to get these things going, so it won’t be like the plan is going to sit there. You’re going to see it actively implemented,” Sweeney said.

One of the priority plans involves transforming part of North Buffalo Street into a festival street.

“What is a festival street? It’s really an infrastructure project that transforms a run-of-the-mill street that can be easily closed down for a festival,” Lapp said.

During the planning process, the community expressed a strong desire for more dynamic, programmable public spaces for events, the report said. This led to the initial development of three distinct performance venue concepts: the Jailyard Performance Space, City Square, and the Buffalo Festival Street. 

The Buffalo Festival Street concept emerged as one of the highest-rated and most enthusiastically supported projects, with respondents calling it “transformative for downtown,” the report said.

That input was seen as a mandate and led to the decision to concentrate resources and efforts on this single, signature project, which best fulfills the community’s desire for a central, flexible event hub that functions as a street when not programmed, the report said.

Another idea involves establishing an art studio in the former First Christian Church on the corner of Lake and Main Street.

The property is owned by Kociusko County, and Sweeney said they hope to work with  officials to determine if it would be available.

Smaller projects, such as putting artistic wraps on utility boxes and dressing up crosswalks wth artwork, were also mentioned.

Below is a sampling of other proposals.

A Gateway Sculpture Play Park – an interactive sculpture park on the

Buffalo Trot Art Trail — Envisioned on the downtown’s southern edge, it would feature artistic structures for children’s play and exploration, serving as a vibrant gateway to the city center.

Art Activations — Work with developers to incorporate visual art, sculptures, and other art activities into their projects.

Mural Program — Implement a semi-permanent/rotating mural program strategically placed along key downtown corridors such as Buffalo Street, Center Street, Winona Avenue, and Main Street. These murals would reflect local culture or history, visually enhance the urban landscape, create postcard photo opportunities and create a gateway.

[caption id="attachment_123183" align="aligncenter" width="666"] Many local leaders attended Wednesday's meeting. News Now Warsaw photo by Dan Spalding.[/caption]

The post Numerous proposals unveiled for Warsaw cultural arts district appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — As part of Main Street Warsaw’s “All is Bright” month-long Christmas celebration, a downtown Warsaw window-decorating contest will take place.

Windows must be decorated before Dec. 5. Each display must include at least one illuminated or lighted feature in keeping with the All is Bright theme. Displays must be family-friendly and windows should remain decorated through Christmas.

Judging will take place Dec. 5.

Storeowners interested in this should let Main Street Warsaw know by Nov. 14 of their plans to decorate their storefront.

This will help Main Street Warsaw staff create the online judging page featuring all participating businesses. Contact Events Coordinator Nora Christiansen at nora@kchamber.com or 574-267-6311, ext. 4.

Dec. 5 will be the Downtown Tinkle Light Celebration, featuring the downtown Christmas tree lighting, Twinkle Light Parade, downtown open house (stores are encouraged to stay open late), carriage rides and more festive activities. This event will be from 5 to 8 p.m.

If you plan to have Santa visiting your store or any special events during the Christmas season, let Main Street Warsaw know so they can include you in the downtown Santa schedule and events calendar.

The post Downtown businesses encouraged to decorate windows for holidays appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — The inaugural Downtown Warsaw Fashion Weekend, presented by Toyota of Warsaw and hosted by Main Street Warsaw, took place October 3-5.

The event drew hundreds of attendees to downtown Warsaw for both free and ticketed events featuring women’s and men’s fashions from three downtown boutiques including Glam Boutique, Finley and Co. Boutique, and Male Fashions.

The weekend started with a free Friday night Sip n Shop featuring live mannequins in the boutiques, arts vendors, and musicians lining the street. A total of nine retail shops participated in the Friday evening event providing complimentary wine and cheese.

Toyota of Warsaw displayed cars and trucks at each boutique and Toyota staff answered questions for shoppers as they admired the cars.

The featured Saturday night ticketed runway show provided a capacity crowd — a one-of-a-kind experience.

Guests strolled the 50-foot red carpet in the center of North Buffalo St. walking by gleaming Toyota vehicles and energetically engaged by Wagon Wheel actors posing as paparazzi dressed in vintage attire.

As guests arrived at the end of the carpet to check in they were treated to a splash art demonstration by local artist, Marc Eckle.

Once inside The Vic, they were served a complimentary glass of champagne, engaged in socializing and a musical number by Wagon Wheel cast members Kira Lace Hawkins, Sam Engle, and Thomas Hall, teasing the audience with a preview performance of the after-party show at Anthology Whiskey Room.

The runway was electrifying as models walked the runway to high energy music and donned a different fashionable look with each of the three passes by the five models for each boutique.

Guests cheered as the models played it up for the crowd. The show concluded with a finale with all models walking down the runway one after the other and with the introduction of boutique owners Jenny Finley, Michelle Hansen and Tim Hamman, as well as Toyota of Warsaw General Manager, Emily Illingworth Kosnik to the enthusiastic appreciation of the audience.

The attendees then adjourned to Anthology Whiskey Room to mix with the models, recap the evening, enjoy spirits, and attend a cabaret performance by Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts.

Downtown Fashion Weekend ended on Sunday with a champagne shop featuring in-store
discounts and a relaxing afternoon of shopping and socializing.

“It was a great success, we are already talking about next year!” said Michelle Hansen, owner of Glam Boutique.

The post Main Street Warsaw celebrates success of first-ever Fashion Weekend appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Sip N Shop returns on Friday, from 5 to 7 p.m., in downtown Warsaw.

The event is organized and supported by Main Street Warsaw, Lakeland Art Association, art vendors, and downtown retail shops.

The program features retail shops, the Lakeland Art Association gallery, art vendors and street musicians providing an evening of local shopping, sipping, and sidewalk artistry. Retail shops will be providing complimentary wine and cheese to shoppers while art vendors and musicians line downtown sidewalks, providing a unique strolling experience. Shoppers will check in online at each retail shop they visit to obtain their complimentary beverage and be entered to win a $50 gift certificate.

This month’s street musicians include Ben Essick, Evan Hendsbee and Jerry Nenycz.

Hundreds of people attended the first two Sip N Shops.

The next Sip N Shop is scheduled for Oct. 3 and will serve as a kick-off the Downtown Fashion Weekend presented by Toyota of Warsaw. For more details on both events, visit mainstreetwarsaw.org events page.

The post Sip N Shop returns Friday in downtown Warsaw appeared first on News Now Warsaw.

WARSAW — Main Street Warsaw is hosting the inaugural Downtown Fashion Weekend presented by Toyota of Warsaw, Oct. 3-5.

The event features women’s and men’s fashions from four downtown boutiques including Glam Boutique, Brooch Boutique, Finley and Co., and Male Fashions. The weekend has both free and ticketed events, starting with Friday night's free Sip N Shop event featuring live mannequins and complimentary wine and cheese in the participating boutiques.

In addition, Toyota of Warsaw will have car displays to engage shoppers and art vendors and musicians will line downtown streets, according to a news release from Main Street Warsaw.

On Saturday, Oct. 4, fashion hits the spotlight in a ticketed event that begins with a red carpet and spotlight experience for arriving guests, followed by a runway show against a backdrop of interactive art and high-energy music all taking place at The Vic.

The runway show is followed by an after-party at Anthology featuring a cabaret performance by Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts and mixing with fashion models and fellow guests.

The weekend finishes on Sunday afternoon with private Champagne Shop at participating boutiques featuring in-store specials and more car displays from Toyota of Warsaw.

After the private shopping event, the boutiques will be open to the public.

“This is going to be a must-attend set of events. Saturday’s runway show will be amazing like a New York fashion show with red carpet and spotlights, models, high energy, live art,” said Michelle Hansen, owner of Glam Boutique.

“We wanted to highlight downtown’s fashion collective in a fun way and bring the community together and that is why we have both free and ticketed events. That would not be possible without the support of Toyota of Warsaw,” said Terry Sweeney, downtown development director for Main Street Warsaw.

“We are proud to support our local businesses, and this partnership is a perfect fit. We look forward to showcasing our own style - complete with Toyota flare and our latest models,” said Emily Illingworth Kosnik, general manager of Toyota of Warsaw.

Tickets for the runway show and private champagne went on sale on Wednesday. Visit mainstreetwarsaw.org for more information.

Schedule
• Friday, Oct. 3, Downtown Sip N Shop, 5 to 7 p.m.
• Saturday, Oct. 4, Runway Show doors open at 7:30 p.m.; show at 8:30 p.m. at The Vic, 110 N Buffalo St.
After Party, 10 to 11:30 p.m. at Anthology, 109 E Center St.
• Sunday, Oct. 5
Private Champagne Shop, 12 to 1:30 p.m. at participating boutiques
Public Champagne Shop, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at participating boutiques

The post Various events part of Fashion Weekend in Warsaw Oct. 3-5 appeared first on News Now Warsaw.