First Friday to Provide Shuttle Service

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First Friday to Provide Shuttle Service

The Doylestown First Friday committee is starting two new initiatives to try to ease parking headaches during the monthly event.

Starting Friday, June 1, the Doylestown DART bus will shuttle First Friday attendees from the county parking garage to the downtown area. It also will stop at two other free public parking lots on the route.

First Friday volunteers also will place signs around town directing drivers to the lots that allow free public parking during the event. They are the Bucks County parking garage at Broad and Union streets, the Bucks County VIP parking lot on the corner of Broad and East Court streets and the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot on West Court Street.

The Dart bus route will be:

• Union Street entrance to the Bucks County parking garage
• County VIP parking lot at Broad and East Court
• Intersection of Court and Main
• Dommel Way
• Wells Fargo Bank parking lot on West Court
• Return to Union Street garage via Clinton and Union

The changes are in response to concerns from residents who live close to downtown that First Friday traffic makes an already difficult parking situation worse, especially on the blocks where houses have no off-street parking.

Some of those residents came to a Borough Council committee meeting

As a response, Doylestown Borough Council mandated that First Friday Doylestown increase efforts to offer parking to visitors during the celebration.

The First Friday committee said this week that it already is spread thin during the events. The group is looking for volunteers willing to help put out and take down the new parking signs. Anyone interested in helping is asked to arrive at 5 p.m. at the downtown Starbucks at State and Main on First Fridays.

The June 1 event is expected to be one of the biggest of the season, as Doylestown celebrates the 200th anniversary of becoming the county seat.

Entertaining at the main stage in front of Starbucks will be the 20 piece big band, Jazz 4 nothin’. The group will perform from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

At the Plaza West parking lot at State and Hamilton, middle school keyboardist Nick Mason, high school tap dancer Justin Ballasy, and the middle school band Pluto’s Echo will perform. CB Cares also will present its first Positive Coaching Award to Buckingham Elementary’s Bryan Rosica.

Additional entertainment includes the Doylestown Rock Gym and magician Robert Malissa. Featured artists include potter James Mowery, painters Matt Leray and Sara McClerry and photographer Stephanie Lisle. Various Doylestown merchants also will offer special entertainment, crafts and activities at their stores.

For more information about First Friday events, which are held rain or shine the first Friday of every month from 6 p.m. until 9:30 p.m., visit www.FirstFridayDoylestown.com.