It’s a summertime favourite in Saskatoon that not even a massive construction project can stop. Starting in a little over a week on July 28 – the 2016 PotashCorp Fringe Theater and Street Festival will kick off along Broadway Avenue.
What’s different this is year is the amount of things to see and do, with organizers saying this year’s line-up is bigger and better than ever.
“We have over 30-plus food vendors, 150 small vendors, 33 different theatre companies and 231 individuals shows in six venues in this area,” said Colin Grante, with 25th Street Theatre Centre Inc.
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The event also falls right smack dab in the middle of a massive improvement project, estimated to take five months to complete.
“They’ve moving heaven and earth and a lot of equipment and some asphalt to get these streets done for the Fringe area for the festival so that everyone can walk as they normally do in our four-block radius,” Grante said.
Fifty-five thousand people have attended the festival in years past with organizers hoping for the same.
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Street traffic is desperately needed in the neighborhood after local businesses say the number of pedestrians has slowed to a trickle ever since city crews began repairing water mains and resurface roads in May.
“To be honest with you it’s been terrible, our business is down probably a good 30 per cent to almost half when the construction was between 10th and 11th streets,” said Tim Bannan, manager of the Oliv Tasting Room.
“Now that it’s opened up, it has given us a little breathing room but still the business is nowhere where it should be.”
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Bannan said his biggest frustrations with the major construction underway is crews aren’t working evenings and weekends, in addition to signage that is deceiving.
“The signage still says there’s construction and you should use an alternate route. It’s not the truth, there’s businesses open.”
According to the city, favourable weather and a combined effort on the part of all parties has pushed the Broadway Improvement Project up three weeks ahead of schedule but the damage has been done in some cases.
“Its hurt different people in different ways, like the restaurants suffered the hardest, they rely a lot on street traffic,” said Adam Anton, co-owner of McQuarrie’s Tea & Coffee Merchants.
“Businesses like ours with established costumers I don’t think suffered quite so bad.”
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Anton said their business lost several hundred dollars a day when construction first started but that it’s a necessary evil.
“We had probably three or four water main breaks last winter and I find that way more inconvenient especially in the middle of a Christmas rush when you have to go out and get water so you can flush your toilet,” he said.
Still, nobody along Broadway wants to see business go down the drain and hope the Fringe festival will offset some of this summer’s losses.
“I hope that the Fringe brings everybody down here again, they can realize that businesses are open, there are opportunities to park closer, there are inconveniences but businesses – all the business not just mine need their support,” Bannan said.
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