Curt is Chicago native – but don’t hold that against him. After stops in Madison and California, he and his wife moved to Waukesha in 2004 to open their own downtown business.
A lot has been said over the past few days about the July 21st bike race.
For the most part, it has all been very positive.
Waukesha played gracious host to the Carl Zach International bike race for the 14th time last Saturday. Our downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods were converted into a race course that challenged even the best of the bikers.
Alderman Randy Raddish and the team from Couri Insurance did a banner job putting the event together. What most people don’t appreciate is the amount of time these folks dedicate to make the race a smooth experience for all involved.
And in the end, the last race of the day proved to be one of the most exciting in recent memory.
A Different Opinion.
With all that aside, I have my own opinion of the race to offer.
I was up early that day, just as the set-up began. I was able to tour the course and get a very good feel for the pulse of the event.
Police were setting up barricades. Shop owners were sweeping out their doorways. Coffee houses were preparing early morning red-eyes. The smell of sweet rolls filled the air down Main Street.
People were milling about. Bikers were making practice runs on the course. The street sweeper was humming about, sweeping extra diligently along the racer’s course to ensure a safe and clean route.
The Saturday morning Farmers Market was being set up near the river front. A Harry Potter festival was underway on the East end of West Main, and the downtown bustled with an energy unlike any I had seen before.
This wasn’t an Art Crawl by West End Artists. This wasn’t a Friday Night Live by Martha Merrell and the Freeman.
This was the entire City of Waukesha working together- police, city workers, volunteers, store owners, the general public, and city officials- to accommodate an international event.
And all of this positive enthusiasm leads me to this conclusion…
I think Waukesha is ready.
I think we are ready to host the Olympics.
Too much of a jump?
O.K., maybe it is.
Let’s wait until The Clarke Hotel is done so international travelers will have a place to stay.
And Dave’s Restaurant gets its facelift.
And the buildings at 292 and 301 W. Main St. (on the Five Points intersection) get their facelift as well.
And let’s wait until 331 Riverfront Plaza gets it facade updated too. Rumor has it that perhaps a restaurant will grace the first floor along the river and loft apartments or condos may fill the upper portion of the property.
Good stuff, eh?
Then we can invite the Olympic Committee down to see why Waukesha would be such a great place to host the Games.
What the Heck is He Talking About?
If you didn’t have any clue that all this was going on down here, don’t worry. Not a lot of people did.
Until now.
A new face is coming to the old downtown landscape. New improvements to old facades and strong new businesses taking hold are moving this city forward.
Meshed in with the old standby businesses that have made Waukesha what it is today, this downtown is on it’s way to becoming something extraordinary.
It’s becoming a destination for those who are tired of malls and mega shopping centers, and those who are not fooled by the “movie set” downtowns, modeled after real, historic city streets.
It’s for those people who like to spend time walking by an authentic river with a real dam, teaming with real fish.
It’s for families, it’s for first dates, it’s for celebrating a marriage or an anniversary, and it’s for quite moments to your self. It’s for early risers, and it’s for night owls (just be quiet when you stroll by Otto’s Art Academy at 2AM).
It’s for shoppers, it’s for diners, and it’s for those in search of learning something new.
It’s for everyone.
So is the idea of hosting an Olympic event too far out?
I don’t know, but it sounds good, doesn’t it?
Or shall we stick to bike races for now?
Whatever the reason people come here, all that matters is that they do and that they enjoy themselves.
And while Waukesha still has room for improvement downtown, it is definitely headed in a positive direction.
Now, about those bars…
