It’s the middle of summer and nonprofit
Canton
Main Street doesn’t want you to forget about the merchants of Collinsville.
The fourth annual Collinsville Hot, held this year on July 21, is intended to bring an influx of visitors to the area that usually sees a decline in foot traffic that time of year.
“The original vision was to attract traffic into Collinsville during a slack time of year,” said Bob Bessel, who is on the board of Canton Main Street. “It’s mid-summer and we tended not to get as much traffic. The canoe and kayak place was swamped and the bikers would come in and keep moving on. A few of the merchants got together and said it would be great if we put on a festival right in the middle of summer and focused it on Collinsville.”
That’s just what they did in 2015, with the first Collinsville Hot being planned in just three months. It took the entire community to work together and problem solve, including an issue the day before the event with power not working on the performance stage. But, Bessel said, it all came together and after around 2,500 visitors attended the festivities, they deemed it a success.
“We’ve gotten a tremendous influx of traffic,” Bessel said. “Overall, people liked it and they realize it’s something that draws attention to the good things we have in town. The naysayers have come along and are now part of it. They are participating.”
Each new year brings some tinkering and evolution to the festival, Bessel said. They might add a different kind of performer or bring in new food trucks and vendors. Also, each year brings new organizations that join the festival by hosting their own events during the day.
This year, the day will bring the popular dog parade, a craft and artisan fair, yoga on Main Street, a magic show, and constant musical entertainment through the day. A full schedule of events can be found on the event’s website, at collinsvillehot.com.
“It’s morphing again,” Bessel said. “It’s grown and evolved. What I would say, the overall direction we want to go in, we want to do things that make this event special and unique. There are a lot of elements you can see elsewhere, but the spirit and the combination of all of what we’re doing is special.”
That spirit is evident in why Collinsville Hot has become important to the town, its residents, and the local vendors, Bessel said. They want more people to know about what the area has to offer.
“We’re putting a face on a town that a lot of people pass through,” Bessel said. “They pass through or they only catch little glimpses of it. We have a very active bike trail. It’s one of the busiest trails in the state. But when they come through, they are passing through. They might miss the fact that they are riding right by one of the best historic museums in the Canton Historical Society.”
Excess funds from the event will benefit the Canton Mental Health Task Force as it fights opioid addiction.
“We’ve had so many near misses and quite frankly deaths in the Canton community,” Bessel said. “And we’re not alone.”
By celebrating the beauty of Collinsville, Bessel and Canton Main Street hope they can help the Canton Mental Health Task Force.
“We’re trying to have people step off the trail and take some time and see what this community has to offer,” Bessel said. “We’re very sure they’ll be surprised in a positive way and start to view us differently.”
