As we move from summer into fall, I am grateful for the fun we had in Antioch over the past few months. We started the summer season with a successful Summer Wine Walk and It’s Thursday summer concert series kick-off concert with country music star Rodney Atkins! Our Food Truck FEASTival continued this summer, bringing large crowds downtown to Toft Avenue once a month in June, July, and August. In July, we partnered with 93XRT radio to bring three nights of music to the William Brooks Entertainment Center for three nights of music at the bandshell. We’ve never hosted anything quite like this event. It proved to be a fun three nights of music, providing entertainment, and bringing exposure to downtown Antioch. I had a chance to meet many people visiting Antioch for the first time during the weekend.
Our village staff worked hard to make these events more exciting for residents and visitors. This summer, we added a new position at Village Hall, which is responsible for working with existing and potential Antioch businesses, plus this person (Business Development Manager) oversees special events in our community that are designed to help spur commerce in our community. I expect the quantity and quality of our community programming to only get better with our increased staffing and focus on events.
We also hit a major milestone this summer with our groundbreaking ceremony for the redevelopment project of the village-owned property at Main Street and Orchard. When completed, this parkland will not only be a beautiful and enjoyable resource for residents of Antioch, but it will also act as an economic stimulus for downtown, attracting visitors to the splash pad, inclusive playground, entertainment space, and various events that will be planned for the space. Plus, the land will be redeveloped in a way to address flooding and waterway issues with Sequoit Creek.
Finally, this summer, the village communications staff started publishing my weekly community updates on the Village’s website and Facebook page. If you haven’t started following these already, please look for them. They’re published every Friday, with an archive available by using the #antiochmayorsupdate and #antiochmayorsmessage hashtags.
I look forward to seeing you around town this fall! Remember, shop local!
Sincerely,
Mayor Scott Gartner
847-395-1000
antioch.il.gov
