Major road construction in Westfield is expected to be completed sometime next summer.
This is an aerial view of the Westfield green, which is currently being extensively renovated. WESTFIELD – Arts on the Green, the annual summer concert series and other community activities at the downtown green were canceled this year because of road construction in the area.
But, Dickens Days is one annual downtown event that will not take a back seat to road jobs this year.
Organizers of the holiday spectacular said this week the planning is ongoing, and many activities associated with Dickens Days are now being finalized.
“We are now involved in finalizing plans for the event, and our brochure listing activities will be out soon. We have to adapt and do different things each year,” said Lisa G. McMahon, director of the Business Improvement District.
Arts on the Green, held during Labor Day weekend for several years, will return next year, according to organizer Gerald E. Tracy. The summer concerts series, sponsored by the Business Improvement District, also hopes to return to the green depending on progress made in the area during next spring.
Westfield on Weekends Chairman Robert A. Plasse said Dickens Days might be a little different than in the past, but there will be a stroll, a performance of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” and a holiday fair. Dickens Days is in its seventh year this year. It started as a one-day event to raise money for a historic district. That was a house tour. There will be no house tour this year.
Christopher J. Lindquist, director of Westfield Athenaeum, said, “Dickens Days is our signature series of events to bring people downtown to enjoy the holiday season.
“The Athenaeum is the place for the Christmas tree this year,” he offered .
“No matter what is happening on the roads, there will be a holiday celebration in downtown Westfield this year,” said Lindquist.
Ward 2 City Councilor James E. Brown Jr. said he is “glad Westfield on Weekends and others are going forward with the holiday venture. We need to keep as much as we can so next year it will not be difficult to bring back those events that were canceled this year.”
Events such as Arts on the Green and the summer concert series were canceled this year because of the April start of a $14 million reconstruction of Main and Broad streets and Park Square Green.
But, little road work is anticipated during winter months because of unpredictable weather, officials say. And, major road construction is expected to be completed sometime next summer.
Dickens Days will mark its seventh year immediately following Thanksgiving and run through the holiday season. It began as a one-day way to raise money for historic buildings, according to Plasse.
There will be some changes this year, Plasse said. “There will be no historic house tours this year, but we will have our holiday stroll and holiday fair. Our goal is to continue with new ideas each year,” he said.