Art show to include street closures

The Ritzville Downtown Development Association (RDDA) has spent six years working to develop an event that has the ability to bring many new visitors to Ritzville and the historic downtown business district.

This year, the Historic Ritzville Days Western Art Show Committee is excited to be able to present an even bigger and better Memorial Day weekend event that has something for the entire family. In addition to 50 of the Pacific Northwest’s best artists, artisans and authors, the show is also having a sanctioned Dutch Oven Cook-Off, educational activities for children and entertaining demonstrations. The entire event remains free to the general public.

In an effort to draw more visitors to the downtown business district during the show, the City of Ritzville approved the closure of Main Avenue from Adams Street to Division Street on Saturday and Sunday, as well as Washington Street from the depot to the alley next to the post office.

“Surprisingly enough, we still had one car make its way through the middle of the venue last year. There were some close calls as the vehicle passed by the stage and bystanders,” said Jennifer Saunders, chairman of the event.

This event is well-known throughout the region and is gaining notoriety across the states. With this, the show hopes to continue growing the event with top-notch artists, artisans, authors, demonstration artists, vendors, roaming entertainment and children’s activities. As more people travel to Ritzville for the art show, downtown businesses see more foot traffic and other businesses realize the increased revenue from the additional visitors.

A purpose of the RDDA is to sponsor cultural revitalization in the downtown area. Its overall mission is to “develop a prosperous downtown which builds upon the unique cultural and historical assets of our community.”

The Historic Ritzville Days Western Art Show was created to directly benefit downtown businesses by attracting visitors and increasing foot traffic.

The art show committee and Ritzville Downtown Development Association feel the potential to increase sales outweighs the downfall of closing the street.