THUNDER BAY -- The south downtown core has developed into one of the city’s primary administrative areas over the past decade, especially with the opening of the new consolidated courthouse.
However, the Fort William Business Improvement Area wants to remind people there are still unique, vibrant shops still in the area.
The organization hosted their seventh annual Fort William Fall Street Festival on Saturday, with this year’s edition forming a square block around the Thunder Bay Courthouse.
Vierlyn Lunn, co-ordinator with the Fort William BIA, said the purpose of the festival is to introduce residents to the different businesses and their owners.
“We really want to highlight it and bring people down here,” Lunn said. “We have a lot of really great destination shops in the area and we want people to come down and rediscover it.”
Most of the people who visit the area are there for a specific reason, such as to go to the courthouse or attend an event at the nearby Fort William Gardens, she added.
Sarah Duce attended the fall festival and said she does not regularly visit the business district.
She was pleasantly surprised by the array of businesses in the neighbourhood.
“There are quite a few people here. It’s quite busy,” Duce said.
“There are a few (shops) here I didn’t know existed.”
Lunn said a goal for organizers was to showcase the green space of Patterson Park, adding it is often an overlooked urban park.
In fact, she believes the whole district tends to be underappreciated.
“It’s a really pretty area. We have lots of heritage and buildings in this area,” she said.
In the past the street fair has attracted as many as 5,000 people with their children’s activities, entertainment, food and vendors.
Lunn was optimistic the sunny skies would help this year’s attendance comparable.
