Craving a Downtown Days Comeback

There are a handful of novelties I get to savor just once a year. A gyro from the Greek stand at Downtown Days is at the top of that list. Something about a pita loaded with tender strips of lamb slathered in cold, garlicky tzatziki sauce on a hot summer day just hits different. Top that off with an old fashioned root beer and a funnel cake and my body is ready for summer. Like so many area festivals, Downtown Days took a break for 2020 and 2021 (thanks, Covid!) and while my arteries are thankful for the relief, my heart still hurts. Downtown Days means so much more to our community than a chance to indulge in festival food. It’s a time to come together and celebrate the start of summer with our friends and family in the heart of downtown. It might be your kid’s first time riding the Ferris wheel, or a night out to see your favorite local band perform live. Since the early 1990s, Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street has been the driving force behind this free summer festival, which welcomes thousands to Downtown Lee’s Summit each year on the first weekend in June.

I’m lucky to be part of a crew of four staff members and over 400 volunteers who make this event possible. Downtown Days is the largest fundraiser for our non-profit organization. The proceeds raised that weekend allow us to offer a year’s worth of free community events like our Fourth Fridays Art Walk, Mayor’s Tree Lighting, Small Business Saturday, and so much more. To anyone who has ever participated as an attendee, performer, vendor, funnel cake taste tester, or volunteer: thank you. Thank you for investing in the heart of our community. Your support is invaluable. If you want to be a part of the work we do 365 days a year to keep Downtown Lee’s Summit going strong, visit downtownls.org/invest. What are you looking forward to most when Downtown Days makes its triumphant return?