There's lots happening in downtown Chatham Friday night.
Beer gardens, live music, and performances by Cornell's Irish School of Dance, Chatham Gymnastics and Snow's Martial Arts will take over the streets between Third St. and William St. as part of the BIA's Downtown in the City events.
Chairman Jim Carrington says they're hoping to increase foot traffic as not much goes on in the downtown core in September.
"There's a huge gap between Ribfest and the Santa Claus Parade, so we're just trying to fill that gap in the fall," says Carrington. "Our mandate is to create events, and I think people will be looking for something to do while the weather is still nice."
There will also be three pop-up fashion shows taking place -- one at 5pm between 4th and 5th streets, one at 6pm inside the Downtown Chatham Centre, and one at 7pm inside the Retro Suites' Derby Room.
He says they modeled the event after Fashion in the City, which was held three years ago.
"We used to have a couple of fashion events in September, so we thought maybe we could recreate it, but this time expand it beyond fashion," says Carrington.
Carrington says he's also pleased with what they have planned for the evening, as it was all pulled together in no time.
"One thing that I'm impressed with is that I just made a few phone calls and within half-an-hour we had formed a committee and had a meeting by the end of the day," he says.
The Downtown in the City Extravaganza runs from 5pm until 9pm.
