By Thomas J. Weisner, former mayor of Aurora –
It has been an eventful Spring for Aurora’s downtown.
The Paramount Theatre was host to comedian Jay Leno in late April and, for a full one-and-a-half hours, the “house” was full of both an audience and unrestrained laughter. The fourth and final musical of this Broadway Season opened a week later and a seven-year tradition that knows only excellence managed to outdo itself, “once” again, we could say. “Once” received a four-out-of-four-stars review from The Tribune’s Chris Jones, an uncommon achievement, while eliciting a huge popular response.
The Paramount, which attracted only 52,000 visitors the year before Tim Rater and Jim Corti first worked their magic in 2011, likely will see its attendance surpass 350,000 for the 2017-2018 season, nearly a seven-fold increase in visitors to the Paramount, Aurora, and its downtown.
Speaking of Aurora Downtown, if you were trying to attend (or perhaps avoid) the most recent First Fridays, a monthly event organized and supported by Aurora Downtown and its twin dynamos, Marissa Amoni and Kim Granholm, you would have witnessed one of the largest throngs of individuals Aurora’s downtown has seen in decades.
Twenty-nine food trucks, the highlight of the May First Fridays, filled Benton Street, from Lake Street to Broadway to leave barely enough room for eager foodies to form serpentine lines to the purveyors of choice. SciTech Museum, Support Techs’ art show in the former library and the Santori Library’s Marie Wilkinson artifacts display, then welcomed those who had full bellies, but open minds.
One might think that 29 food trucks would bankrupt the downtown’s regular restaurants of customers, but even several blocks north on New York Street, Gillerson’s Grubbery and Ballydoyle were SRO (standing room only), with customers literally hanging out of the front doorways.
And whether it was the large library lot to the south, the parking deck at Stolp and Downer, or the Waubonsee Community College parking lot well north of New York Street, passenger-filled cars circled parking lots similar to hungry sharks, waiting to pounce whenever the back-up lights on an exiting vehicle would light up.
Along Stolp Avenue there was live music at Millennium Park, food and drink at a jammed Leland Legends and the dependable hospitality of “If These Walls Could Talk.” AKA Dance and Zen Loft entertained.
On Galena Boulevard, of course, nearly 1,900 rapt theatergoers comfortably were ensconced at the Paramount, our beautiful Art Deco Temple to the Arts, watching a four-star musical production.
It was a euphoric, historic night in Downtown Aurora: 10,000 happy individuals from throughout the Chicago suburban region enjoying food, music, art, and a beautiful Spring night in a town that most would have avoided only 20 years ago.
Which reminds me of some other good news that was publicized last week. Once again, Aurora was rated as one of the top 20 major U.S. cities in which to realize the American Dream.
SmartAsset, a personal finance company analyzed America’s 257 largest communities on criteria such as economic mobility, home-ownership and unemployment rates, and rated Aurora No. 4 in the Nation.
We can argue about the past, present, and future of Aurora’s downtown, but I think it is safe to say that we are headed in the right direction. I think it is safe to say that the Arts have been a major driver of our success.
The work of Tim Rater, Jim Corti, and all the Paramount staff members has resulted in huge crowds, critical success, 45 Jeff Award nominations in three years, and what is now the second largest subscriber base in the United States. Kudos, compliments, and congratulations are in order.
But we would be remiss if we did not acknowledge the critical contributions of Aurora’s at-large arts community, as well as the organizations and individuals who are generating the ideas, activity, and energy that make Aurora an arts community that is truly unique among equals.
Amazon has shown the world that we can’t attract people and business to our downtowns by simply opening retail stores. But we can attract those who will spend money at retail stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues by offering them something unique that they can’t buy or have an experience elsewhere.
That something unique in Aurora is the Arts.
The Arts, it seems to me, are worth pursuing in their own right, because they challenge, delight, and inspire. But beyond that, it is important that we recognize the value of the Arts as an economic engine for our downtown, and for Aurora as a whole.
Our mayor and our City Council have had the wisdom to support the Arts in downtown, including a new School of Performing Arts, funded in part by a $2.5 Million Dunham Fund grant, that will begin serving our community and our children next year. For Aurora, investing in the Arts is investing in the future.
Tom Weisner was mayor of Aurora, 2005 to 2016.