Fireworks begin - 114 Warren to extreme right of photo.

Yesterday was Hudson’s 13th annual Winter Walk, a three hour event up and down Warren St.

Our BeLo3rd business group made a number of efforts to attract the crowds down the street. For the first time Warren St. was car free its entire length. The parade started at Front St., instead of Third St. Merchant windows below Third featured special custom window displays by local artists following the 12 Nights of Christmas theme. Music was offered in one gallery and the wine bar. BeLo3rd even bought radio advertisements in the two weeks leading up to the event. One idea seemed compelling but turned out to be a complete flop, lining both sides of the street with candles on the curbs in white paper bags. Unfortunately between the snow and the ambient light, the effect was less than underwhelming. But, all these efforts to move people to visit the bottom third of Warren could not overcome the inertia of thirteen years in which nothing happened below Third. My theory is that next year we will save the  money spent of the radio ads and hire a noisy rock band to play at Warren and Front St., at the very bottom of the street. Build in a little light show and and all of this ruckus will surely brings the mobs to our end of the street.

Still, we had a good time on Winter Walk night. We had a few interesting folks show up and our visitors from Cambridge thought the whole event was fun.

Polar Bear and Ginger Bread men - unrelated - visit the Gallery