The Best (and Worst) of Downtown

Friday night's Downtown Block Party illustrated everything that downtown Fitchburg can offer, but also was a reminder of it's current struggle.

By 7:30, the closed-to-traffic Main Street was packed with visitors. There was music, balloons for the kids, and stuff to eat. There was also a string of closed storefronts, many of which you wouldn't visit even when open. It was the ultimate good news/bad news situation.

Here's the bad news: Downtown Fitchburg doesn't have a whole lot to offer. The busiest business was Espresso pizza, and while the pizza is tasty, shouldn't there be a shop or two able to be open and attractive to hundreds of visitors to downtown? While the street and the vendors were active, the day-to-day businesses were dead (as usual).

Here's the good news: Give people a reason to come downtown, and they'll be there. It doesn't take a whole lot to turn downtown into a vibrant place to visit. People will come if they have a reason. Friday night provided a reason. The trick now is to create a mass of restaurants and shops that will turn downtown into a permanent go-to spot.

It also is a reminder, along with tomorrow's fireworks, that Fitchburg still has the potential to be the core of the North Central Massachusetts region. The title as urban hub is earned through a series of little things -- like hosting the regional chamber of commerce, being home to the region's biggest and best fireworks, and nursing along a vibrant urban core -- that Fitchburg is accruing.

Friday night was a one-night snapshot that mirrors very well the city as a whole: There are blemishes, but it's slowly rebuilding toward the potential that is just under the surface.