Los Gatos’ popular Promenades won’t be happening this summer.
Organizers say the Promenades, which attracted large crowds to downtown Los Gatos every Thursday night for the past two summers, have run their course.
“The reason we did those Promenades was because it was a really great idea to get people back out and about and shopping and dining in a safe way, and it did exactly what it was supposed to do,” said Catherine Somers, outgoing executive director of the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce.
Somers, who spearheaded the Promenades, did not ask the town council for the money to run another series of Promenades this summer, citing issues with securing funding and security. She and the rest of the Chamber’s executive staff are leaving their positions this summer.
The town council spent about $350,000 of its American Rescue Plan Act funds on the Promenades over the past two years in an effort to boost the local economy after the pandemic. But with that money running out, finding a revenue source is challenging.
Closing North Santa Cruz Avenue for the Promenades costs about $20,000 for each event, and there’s no real revenue stream from sponsors.
Los Gatos has nearly $900,000 in those ARPA funds left, and the town council was due to decide how to spend it at its next meeting on May 16.
The Promenades got rowdy and chaotic at times, with underage drinking a top concern among councilmembers. The group implemented some alcohol restrictions in an effort to curb bad behavior, like limiting adults to two alcoholic beverages and increasing security.
“It was a great party, but it wasn’t really fueling, necessarily, the economy downtown; It was fueling all the bars,” Somers said. “I think that there are other things we can do that will benefit both the small merchants as well as the bars.”
Police Chief Jamie Field said at a meeting last year that the department didn’t have data on how many cases of underage drinking occurred during the Promenades.
The Chamber will be hosting its usual slate of summer events like Jazz on the Plazz, which brings live music to Town Plaza Park every Wednesday from late June to August. The town’s free public summer concert series, Music in the Park, will run every Sunday from July to August on the Civic Center Lawn.
The wine and art festival, Fiesta de Artes, is held in September with gourmet food trucks, wine, beer and live music, and the Sounds of Summer festival on June 3 will be an all-day music event with at least four bands performing.
“This town is going to be filled with music this summer,” Somers said.
Her last day at the Chamber is June 30, but she’s not going far. Somers said she’ll be focusing her efforts on the town’s beautification committee and is in the process of brainstorming new event ideas for the town.
Source: www.mercurynews.com