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8 • BACK ON MAIN 2023 in the air continued from page 7 we can attract and bring new customers into the downtown area." According to Lafontant, being back on Main Street is a way to bring the commu- nity back together. "To bring the community back together in one space, to restore the historical downtown and to bring people back together as a community," said Lafontant. "To share the joy of the city." For Alissa Fischer, gener- al manager at 6th Avenue Barbecue Pit and Bar, being Back on Main means serv- ing customers excellent barbecue. "The last few years have just been rough with COVID and everything, and just for this area specifically with construction," said Fischer. "But, for us, [being Back on Main] just means bussing out some really good food. We've done some improve- ments during this time and we are excited to get people in here." At Dooley's on Main, they are excited to see continue seeing regulars who have supported them through construction, as well as new faces ready for a meal in a relaxed environment. "It's everything to us. We're thankful that all of our guests have supported us through the construction and we're able to still be here," said Hugo Flores, Dooley's general manager. "Hopefully they see that we're still here. I know they will enjoy our food, enjoy our service and our ambiance, and we are just so happy." According to Husar's House of Fine Diamonds Owner Mike Husar, being back on Main Street isn't just a chance to come and revisit West Bend, but to discover something new while downtown. "I think there's a lot of unique businesses down here, and there's a lot that people don't realize are here," said Husar. "They need to just come out and see it." The past 40 years The last time that Main Street underwent signifi- cant construction was in the 1980s. Since that time, many things have happened in downtown West Bend. In 1981, the West Bend Outlet Mall was built along Veterans Avenue, where MOWA stands today. A year later, in 1982, an enclosed bridge that went over the Milwaukee River was installed to connect the outlet mall to downtown. The mall would later close in 1990, which made way for MOWA to purchase the land in 2011, and construct their current West Bend mother- ship location, which fin- ished in 2013. MOWA is currently celebrating the building's 10th anniversary this year. In 1985, an idea was born on Main Street. After weath- er ruined Maxwell Street Day plans in downtown West Bend, Herb Tennies, who owned Tennies Ace Hardware at the time, came up with the idea for GERMANfest. The celebra- tion is now run by Habitat for Humanity and is still held on Main Street each year, with the exception of 2023 due to construction. Just a few years after con- struction was completed, downtown West Bend had a presidential visitor, as former President Ronald Reagan visited the West Bend on July 27, 1987 for a luncheon at Greene's Fort Silver Inn. Washington House was decorated for the occasion, which was the third time West Bend wel- comed a president. The other two were former pres- idents John F. Kennedy and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. GERMANfest wasn't the only downtown event to be created in the past 40 years, with the DWBA creating several of their own, includ- ing their annual Music on Main Series, which started in 2007. The weekly concert series brings hundreds to downtown West Bend each Thursday during the sum- mer, and with Main Street open once agin will do so moving forward. In 2023, the event was moved to the Immanuel UCC parking lot near downtown. Later on The Bend Theater would make a comeback. In July, 2017, Historic West Bend Theatre Inc. bought The Bend Theater for $250,000 to con- vert the space into a venue for classic and children's movies, plays by local the- ater groups, music and comedy shows, and events such as weddings and cor- porate meetings. The Bend would open for one day on March 14, 2020, initially, as COVID-19 would close them down on March 15, 2020. But, later that year in July, the theater would re-open for good as The Bend Theater, 125 N. Main St. In 2022, the West Bend Downtown Historic District was listed on the State Register of Historic Places to preserve the distinct concentration of 19th to mid-20th century buildings downtown. With the Main Street Reconstruction and the Downtown Riverwalk proj- ects now completed, the DWBA, city and all of the shops and restaurants invite you to visit down- town West Bend for the Christmas Tree Lighting on Nov. 2 at 5:30 p.m., and to come back on Nov. 3, from 5 to 8 p.m., and Nov. 4, from 2 to 8 p.m., to light up down- town and kick off the next 40 years on Main Street in West Bend at Back on Main. Photo courtesy of Sheila Kruepke Urban Farm Girl, 136 S. Main St., a boutique where you can find custom painted furniture, jewelry, candles, home decor, goods from local artisans and more, lit up at night following the completion of the Main Street Recon- struction project.

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