It is officially springtime, and as the blossoms are opening up, so is downtown Easton.
A number of new initiatives are spurring the city into the new season, with a focus on outdoor leisure and entertainment.
As the popularity of outdoor dining remains high, Easton has adapted to restaurant needs once again, this time with the incorporation of “streateries.” These allow each restaurant to have two parking spaces to use for outdoor dining purposes, according to Easton market district director Megan McBride.
The Easton Main Street Initiative has created a number of campaigns throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to support local restaurants. Its most recent, #TheNewWeekend, seeks to boost mid-week dining and curbside pick-ups, thus making every night feel like a weekend.
And apart from dining, Easton is hoping to increase engagement with the community in other ways after many cold months spent indoors.
“The pandemic has given folks a newfound appreciation for the outdoors, so we’re focusing on outdoor recreation and activities that encourage circulation through town,” McBride wrote in an email.
A gradual return to normalcy for Easton would not be complete without the reintroduction of outdoor music.
Easton Out Loud returned with live music on March 26. The event is held downtown on the fourth Sunday of every month from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m in Centre Square. And Acoustic Kitchen, the Easton Public Market’s weekly live music event returned on April 2. Visitors can enjoy live acoustic music on the back porch of the market every Friday from 5:30-7:30, weather permitting.
Additionally, there will be weekly performances at the Easton Farmers’ Market starting on its opening day on May 1. And Live at the Falls, a summer outdoor concert series, will be held weekly this year on Thursday evenings from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., bringing summer tunes from both local and out-of-state bands.
And as the days get warmer, Eastonians may start getting around differently, too. According to McBride, the D&L Trail recently named the Easton Public Market a Trail-Friendly Business in 2020, which “spurred [Greater Easton Development Partnership (GEDP)] to think about how visitors are getting to Easton and traveling through the city, and how residents are ditching their cars in favor of pedal power for in-town trips.”
The market, which already has an air pump and water bottle refill station, will therefore be adding a bike wash station and an extra incentive for bikers: anyone wearing (or carrying) a bike helmet into the market can enjoy a free piece of fruit of the manager’s choosing at the Highmark Farmstand.
And while Easton is in the process of adapting to the newest season, the Public Market turns five years old this week. Festivities began yesterday and will continue through this Sunday, April 18. Visitors can check out anniversary menu specials and enter raffles to celebrate.
“We especially want to thank [the] Lafayette community for supporting our growth over the past five years!” McBride wrote.
