On June 3, downtown visitors are invited to peek into downtown Delaware’s past – and future – during Main Street Delaware’s annual “Artful Spaces in Downtown Places” tour.
The ticketed First Friday event – sponsored by SourcePoint – will feature tours of unfinished spaces, including the Fidelity Federal building, nearly finished office suites, and other unique areas typically closed to the public.
Ohio Wesleyan University’s newly renovated Merrick Hall also will be open for the event, with visitors able to tour a historic building that includes a grand third floor with a 22-foot ceiling. The nearby Ross Art Museum, hosting an exhibit of art quilts, will be open for June’s First Friday, too.
The self-guided walking tour of “Artful Spaces” will be from 6 to 9 p.m. June 3. Tickets are $10 per person, with children 12 and under admitted free. Tickets are available online at www.mainstreetdelaware.com or in person at Button Up, 29 N. Sandusky St. Tickets also will be available on First Friday at the Main Street Delaware office, 20 E. Winter St.
All tour sites will be designated by balloons and hosted by Main Street Delaware volunteers able to share some of each location’s history. Proceeds will support Main Street Delaware’s efforts to preserve and promote the city’s historic downtown.
June’s First Friday also will feature a new event – an adult coloring book tour. Visitors are able to sign up at SourcePoint’s outdoor booth at Winter and Sandusky streets to receive a free coloring book and then visit 15 locations to collect pages to color.
Also during the June 3 celebration, local artists and crafters have been invited to set up on downtown sidewalks to sell their works, creating an “Art-Full Downtown” to accompany the Artful Spaces tour. Booth spaces are available for $35 per 10- by -10-foot section and may be reserved online at www.mainstreetdelaware.com/first-friday-vendors.html. (Vendors must provide their own tables.)
The monthly downtown event will feature free children’s activities and extended shopping and dining hours. Teens are also invited to an area hosted by the William Street United Methodist Church Lighthouse, at the corner of William and Sandusky streets. The streets will be closed, and this area will feature teen-friendly activities, including a DJ.
