Aaron McDermott of Pendleton Artists Society paints outdoors during the final Fridays in the Alley event, “European Market,” sponsored by South Madison Community Foundation.
Aaron McDermott of Pendleton Artists Society paints outdoors during the final Fridays in the Alley event, “European Market,” sponsored by South Madison Community Foundation.
People gather during the final Fridays in the Alley event, “European Market,” sponsored by South Madison Community Foundation.
People gather during the final Fridays in the Alley event, “European Market,” sponsored by South Madison Community Foundation.
Guitarist Derek Bishop performs the final Fridays in the Alley event, “European Market,” sponsored by South Madison Community Foundation.
PENDLETON — Fridays in the Alley wrapped up its three-part run on Friday with a European Market theme and hopes the effort has shown how the space can be used to build community.
“The whole idea is just to create a place for the community to come together,” said Carol Hanna, one of more than a handful of event organizers. “And to imagine what it would look like if alleyways were pedestrian-friendly.”
The events took place 6-8:30 p.m. on the last Friday of the month, in the first alley running east off Pendleton Avenue north of State Street. They were sponsored by South Madison Community Foundation, which approved a $2,800 grant for the project, and also were supported by $2,500 from 3Rivers Federal Credit Union.
The alley was closed to traffic and set up with tables, decorations as well as well as a vendor or two.
Each event had a theme: June 28 was Salsa Night, which was reflected in dance, food and drink; July 26 was Pendleton Picnic, featuring lawn games, country music, and hamburgers and hot dogs; and Friday’s European Market included plein air painting by Pendleton Artists Society, a flower booth and a solo guitarist for entertainment.
Lisa Floyd, community projects steward with the community foundation, said Fridays in the Alley was born from a desire to fund activities people have indicated in surveys and conversations that they want.
“People said, ‘We’d like more places to get together,’” Floyd said.
Community safety is also a priority people mention, Floyd said, and bringing people together and letting them get to know each other furthers this aim, too.
Floyd said the plan now is to share feedback on Fridays in the Alley with community partners and the Town of Pendleton, and to see if and when there might be the money to pursue the concept further.
“Right now they can kind of see the vision of this space,” Floyd said, referring to alley, which she said the town owns. “We’re still very interested in seeing this come to fruition.”
She mentioned the foundation bought some of the resources, such as the outdoor tables and chairs, which can be used in the future and make the events more affordable.
Janet Huffman and Norma Dickey, both of Anderson, came to the alley on Friday to watch the performance of guitarist Derek Bishop, who plays at their church.
They said they really enjoyed the intimacy of the alley space.
“They’ve got a lot of stuff going on for this small area,” Huffman said. “If you go to the park, it’s so big and open. In an alley, you’re brought closer together. We’ve talked to a few people that we wouldn’t have (otherwise).”
“We’ve enjoyed ourselves,” Dickey said.