Elkhart crowdfunding for ‘Downtown After Dark’ lighting displays
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The city of Elkhart has set out to raise $50,000 for several light installations in the city’s downtown and River District through its crowdfunding campaign on Patronicity. Elkhart Festivals Inc.—the organizer of the annual Elkhart Jazz Festival—is leading the project.
If the goal is achieved by Sept. 28, the city will receive another $50,000 in matching funds through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority’s (IHCDA) CreatINg Places program.
“This will take our lights on the trees on Main Street to whole new levels,” Elkhart Mayor Rod Roberson said in a statement. “People love the lights and want to see more. We anticipate the light installations will be enjoyed by thousands of residents and visitors.”
Funds from this campaign will be used by Downtown After Dark to install four permanent lighting displays: a lighting exhibit on Civic Plaza, lighting on Centennial Bridge towards Island Park, a 15-foot tall custom-built lighted elk sculpture downtown and lighting projections for some of the city’s most prominent buildings.
“We got the idea to go bigger, better and brighter this year,” Elkhart Festivals Project Leader Bill Murray told Inside INdiana Business. “We want people to see how great downtown and the River District are, especially after dark.”
Murray talks about this year’s vision and the crowdfunding campaign.
In addition to the potential $100,000 raised through the crowdfunding campaign, the project has received $50,000 from the city’s Redevelopment Commission, along with two grants from area foundations that will total $70,000. Altogether, Murray projects investing $220,000 in the Downtown After Dark project.
Inspired by the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival, a spectacle that caught Roberson’s eye as he drove through to drop his daughter in school in Washington, D.C., Murray was called in to transform the city’s downtown scene with lights.
Last year, the city put lights on trees and streets downtown for the very first time, much to resident’s delight. And the installation that was scheduled to be up for a couple weeks stayed on for months.
“Once those lights went on, people were like, ‘Wow, this is really cool.’ People felt that downtown was more friendly, it was warmer, it felt safer,” Murray said. “With downtown Elkhart, the perceptions of people don’t match the statistics. Downtown is actually much safer than people believe and when there’s lights up, people feel safer.”
With plans to go even bigger this year, most of the new installations would be permanent, excluding the tree lights. Murray had previously envisioned putting in fire pits on the river, like those in Providence, Rhode Island, but was quickly deterred by costs.
The project is part of a collective effort for downtown development in Elkhart, highlighted in its county-wide Vibrant Communities initiative. As first-time CreatINg Places applicants, the city was motivated by neighboring Bristol to apply for the opportunity. Bristol used its matching funds to host its first-ever Corn Dog Festival in 2022 to critical and continued success.
“We think it’ll bring more people downtown and also keep them here longer. We have two streets that are currently one-way streets and they’re going to be converted in the next couple years to two-way streets, part of traffic calming efforts,” Murray said. “If there’s things to see along the side of the streets, particularly at the stoplights, people won’t complain about having to go too slow.”
Plans are underway to project upcoming shows and times from the city hall building onto the Lerner Theater. Murray said the team decided to project on the theater since it doesn’t have a marquee for announcements.
The city is working with Valparaiso-based Landscape Illumination, the company that does the holiday lights display at Wellfield Botanic Gardens, and local artist Nathan Overbey for the installations.
“I’ve really become fascinated with what you can do with lights, that’s what it really boils down to,” Murray said. “The idea is to keep this going, we want to be recognized as a downtown that’s well lit.”
The Martin Family Foundation, the family behind NIBCO Corp., sponsors of the NIBCO Water & Ice Park, have made a donation for lights, railings, walkways and foot bridges on the north side of the park, Murray said. Work is expected to start in September. The tree lights are expected to go up mid-September and will stay on till Mid-March.
“Those will be first shown on the 13th of September. That’s the target,” Murray said. “We’ll continuously add things through the spring because if we get the elk ordered by October, it takes about six months to go from order to design, to build, to ship, to install.”
Downtown After Dark is operated under the auspices of Elkhart Festivals Inc. a not-for-profit organization that curates events like the Elkhart Jazz Festival, Bike Night and Car Day.
Launched in 2016, the CreatINg Places projects have raised more than $11 million in public funds and an additional $9.4 million in matching IHCDA funds. Eligible projects are sponsored by either not-for-profit organizations or local government entities. Projects must have a minimum total development cost of $10,000 and the program will provide matching grant funds up to $50,000 per project.
“We’re thrilled to see this vision for Elkhart put into action,” Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch said in written remarks. “CreatINg Places is a dynamic program that has benefited communities of every size across the state, and the installation of multiple light features in the River District will charm residents and visitors for years to come.”
The campaign has raised $1,725 as of Wednesday morning. You can find more information by clicking here.