Carnival atmosphere at Cottam’s first Open Streets event

By Paul Forman

Downtown Cottam was teeming with people of all ages as it hosted its first-ever Open Streets event on July 22.

Shelby Wye, the Open Streets Lead for the Town of Kingsville, shared the rationale for the new venue.

“Cottam is Kingsville. We wanted to share the love and celebrate all of our downtown centres,” she said.

Business owners in Cottam lobbied the Town of Kingsville for a Cottam event and were rewarded for their efforts as vendors filled the street, existing businesses extended out onto a small section of County Road 34, children played games, and live music provided a festive vibe.

Jim Heyens, owner of The Bank Social Pub in Cottam, said, “Open Streets brings attention to Cottam. It lets people know what we have here in the centre of the county.”

Amanda Clark, one of the vendors at the event and owner of Cottam Candy, was extremely busy.

She enthusiastically shared, “This is amazing. We get to thank our customers today. It gives us a chance to give back to the community.”

The sentiment from vendors and the public clearly make a case for a return to Cottam for an Open Streets event in the near future.

Members of the Kingsville Community Centre did a demonstration of tai chi at Open Streets in Cottam. Paul Forman photos

Jangles the Clown was a popular draw with the kids. He is pictured here with Evelyn and Hudson Battersby and their mom.

Jade MacVicar, on left, and her sister Brooke, on the right, were busy making bath bomb cupcakes at the Crafty Candles booth as their mom looked on.