3CDC Finally Responds about Ousting Food Vendors from the Square

I promised to update my original story from last Sunday when I learned more. 3CDC never responded to me when I requested comment. But after Polly Campbell ran the story Thursday on the Enquirer's website, 3CDC finally issued a press release. Polly has an update here and promises more coverage today. Julie of Wine Me, Dine Me shares from the press release here. The Fountain Square facebook page (under the auspices of Fountain Square Management and 3CDC) has also posted a couple of excerpts from the press release. WLWT ran a brief item on Thursday's 11:00 p.m. news here.

While it may or may not have led to 3CDC's decision to restrict food vendors on the Square, in my attempts to research this story, I also found this Letter to the Editor on the Enquirer's website by Charlie Luken published in July 2011 voicing dismay that the “aesthetically pleasing Fountain Square promised by 3CDC in all those pictures and designs has turned into a hodgepodge of ugly tents, wagons, barricades and a very few scrawny trees. Somewhere behind those barricades, tents and wagons sits the most beautiful fountain in North America.” Luken concludes his remarks with this: “So, I have a question: Can Fountain Square be clean, safe, fun and attractive?”

The word attractive has diverse connotations. “Aesthetically pleasing” is one. “Acting as a magnet” is another. I hope future plans for the Square do not lean toward one at the expense of the other. The inclusion of food and beverage vendors in the Square's programming efforts has helped increase the vitality of the area and draw more people to downtown, especially in the evenings.

I still have a lot of questions and am eager for more details, including how future policies may impact the city's food trucks. I will continue to update as more info becomes available.

This Just In: Food Service Banned From Fountain Square?

I received word over the weekend that after Friday, September 30, there will not be ANY food service on Fountain Square! I am incredulous at this news, which I am told came from 3CDC, and working to find out more.

The only suggested rationale for this policy change I have heard so far is that “some people complained that the food tents make the square look bad.” How this stacks up versus the vitality food vendors contribute to Fountain Square and its many activities that draw people to our city’s downtown core escapes me. I am hoping the limited information currently in my possession does not tell the whole story.

Feel free to add your questions in the comments section to these that already have me scratching my head: 1) Does the prohibition of food service apply only to full-time vendors, or will food service be allowed on Fountain Square for special events? 2) Does this new policy bar beverage vendors as well? (If not, isn’t it sketchy to offer alcohol for Fountain Square events without having food readily available as well?) 3) Does this mean no coffee or hot chocolate vendors will be permitted on Ft. Square while the ice-skating rink is up this winter? 4) Does this mean the Strauss + Troy Tuesday Market on the Square will not be back next summer?

I don’t doubt my source, nor do I wish to be unnecessarily alarmist. I will update this story as I (or others) learn more. Because, ya know, I have a day job :) This is a “scoop” I would be more than happy to retract.

Summer in the City! StreetPops, Pho Lang Thang + Roeblingfest

Blueberry Lemon Thyme, Chocolate Chili Pepper, Grapefruit Tarragon. As soon as I heard about fruit + herb combinations like these, I knew had to try the "grown-up" popsicles from Streetpops.

Lucky for me, one of my favorite downtown lunch joints, Lunch on Main, carries Streetpops, and my first taste was a delightfully puckery keylime-sicle. While it would be a perfect on a hot, humid Cincy summer day, it perked up my spirits - and taste buds - after one of our all-too-frequent recent mid-day storms. I saved the strawberry-mint Streetpop pictured at the top of this post for an afternoon snack yesterday, and was glad I did. This not-too-sweet treat made from fresh fruit was something to look forward to. By the time I pulled it out of the office freezer at 4:00, I was thinking "strawberry." But the first lick made me sit up straight and take my mind off work. What made it different? Oh, yeah, that fresh mint.

Today I had a chance to pick up more Streetpops and meet Sara Bornick, who is bringing her Streetpop cart to Fountain Square for Acoustic Thursdays at lunchtime.

Streetpops will be featuring even more intriguing flavors this weekend when they team up with Pho Lang Thang at Roeblingfest, including Vietnamese Coffee, Cucumber-Jalapeno, and other combos featuring lemon grass, coconut, and mango.

Lunch on Main owner Adam Easterling and his friendly crew were excited the first time I asked to buy a Streetpop from them, and now I know more about the story behind their familiarity and enthusiasm for Streetpops. Sara told me she rents kitchen space from LOM. Love to see locals supporting locals! Park + Vine will also be carrying Streetpops (vegan). Otherwise, you can catch Streetpops at Findlay Market, Second Sunday on Main, and other festivals and events around town.

More about Roeblingfest, in Covington, KY, filled with music, food, history, and fun, and celebrating the Roebling Bridge, our little prototype of the Brooklyn Bridge, here, here, and here. Happy weekend!