Doylestown Gearing up for First Friday Fight

The arrival of warm, spring weather has re-energized the fight in Doylestown over the monthly downtown event First Friday.

Doylestown Borough Council members will discuss the event on Tuesday, April 10. Opponents of the event plan to present petitions they circulated last fall asking the borough to stop supporting First Friday.

The petitions, which have 75 signatures collected last August, will be presented to the borough's Community and Governmental Affairs Committee, which will meet April 10 at at 6 p.m.

The petitions read:

"We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who live or work in Doylestown Borough. We oppose "First Friday" and strongly recommend to Borough Council that "First Friday" be suspended and that the following plan be approved and adopted for the benefit of our town:

• Normal Friday night activities, such as stores and businesses staying open, be encouraged to continue
• "First Friday" advertising (such as flags, placards, signs, website-updates and media-based or other promotions) be stopped
• No monetary contributions or allowances to the "FF" committee
• No street music, including no live music or disk jockeys
• No street closings, patrol cars parked in center of town or unnecessary police on duty
• Establishment of designated locations for youngsters to socialize safely and have fun together until 9 p.m.

Some residents and business owners have objected to First Friday since it began in 2005, but , when Oakland Avenue residents began circulating the petitions to halt the event.

"We want them to suspend First Friday," resident Gary Frazier said then. "We encourage the businesses to stay open that night, but they can’t market First Friday – no flags, no signs, no multimedia advertisements. We want it stopped."

Those opposed to the event don't like the crowds or the noise from the street entertainment. They also don't like the litter, graffiti and property damage left when First Friday ends.

Though First Friday is held every month, winter weather prevents most outdoor activities, so it is only the eight or so fair-weather events that attract large crowds. As the temperature increases, so do the complaints, especially

Borough council members and staff have said they monitor First Friday closely and are always open to hearing from residents and business owners how they feel about the event.

In the end, though, some of those opinions are going to oppose each other.

"We deal with the concerns about the parking and the kids and the noise every month," borough manager John Davis has said. "But it comes down to one question: does Doylestown borough like First Friday or does it not? Obviously, there are people who don’t, and people who do. We try to do what's best for the most people."

So what do you think? Should First Friday continue or be stopped? Vote in the poll, and share your concerns, compliments or ideas in the comments below.