DORA pours life into downtown Findlay during opening weekend

The opening weekend for the city of Findlay's Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area, or DORA, which coincided with the return of ArtWalk to downtown Findlay, appears to have been a success. "ArtWalk returned to downtown Findlay for the first time in over a year, due to COVID-19. The event drew many local artists to various locations throughout downtown and was well attended by the community in conjunction with the start of DORA," said Danielle Wilkin, community relations and development manager for Visit Findlay. A DORA is a specific area in which alcoholic beverages may be sold by licensed liquor establishments for outdoor consumption. Patrons can enter one of 18 local establishments inside the DORA and order an alcoholic beverage in a designated cup. They can then travel freely between establishments inside the DORA boundaries. In Findlay, the boundaries are from Center Street to Lima Street and from Putnam Street to Factory Street. Hours are between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. daily. Colorful DORA decals on businesses and signage throughout downtown will provide guidance on where patrons can purchase, consume and dispose of beverages. "The DORA opening weekend went wonderfully. To my knowledge, we had no issues with trash, police calls, or the like," Mayor Christina Muryn said Monday. "Based on the feedback from participating establishments, I believe it went well and it will only get better as our businesses and community gets used to it." Joseph Rowan, the owner of Vivir Modern Mexican, 119 E. Crawford Street, said the opening went great. "We had to roll with the punches in certain instances to adapt to the influx of customers, we feel we accomplished that quickly," he said. "We felt it added a liberating energy to downtown on the weekend, and it was great seeing so many people enjoy themselves doing it." The Findlay Brewing Co., 213 E. Crawford St., had a similar experience over the weekend. Sarah Foltz, taproom manager and event coordinator for the brewery, said the DORA opener went well. "We loved being able to offer an option for customers to enjoy our craft beer and other beverages while they waited for a table or enjoyed ArtWalk throughout downtown Findlay," Foltz said. "Weekends like what we just had made DORA so beneficial for downtown establishments and customers. Between ArtWalk, college graduation ceremonies in and around Findlay, tournaments and more, we had many new visitors in our area." Foltz also pointed out that many of the downtown establishments do not have a waiting space and are operating at a lower capacity. "DORA allows us to serve more customers and give visitors in Findlay a fun experience in our downtown area," she said. "I thought it went well. Despite threatening weather, there were many people out and about in downtown on Friday. A combination of the always-great ArtWalk coupled with the opening of the DORA brought the people downtown. And increased business was the bottom-line reason why the DORA was pursued," said Findlay City Councilman Grant Russel, R-at-large. The DORA was established by a vote of council and was something Russel favored early in the debate on whether it would work in Findlay. "My wife and I, plus another friend, were able to take advantage of the DORA. While we saw many people out with DORA cups, there were just as many without. Best of all, when we stopped at Vivir Modern Mexican about 30 minutes before they stopped serving, there was only one table available; they were still that busy," he said. "With COVID restrictions (hopefully) winding down, the DORA and all the great places to visit in downtown Findlay, I am very hopeful that this will be an outstanding year for our downtown business and workers, and that they will begin to make up for the lost year of COVID." Grant: 419-427-8412