LOUISVILLE, Ohio — As Louisville vice mayor Richard Guiley helps raise the colorful umbrellas in Umbrella Alley, he's reminded of a vision he had five years ago.
Downtown Louisville was deteriorating, and Guiley needed a solution to revitalize the area, restore the faith that it had a future and give some pride to residents.
“The idea comes to us from Portugal. They were the first city to do it a decade ago. It's sweeping the globe. And we are the first Ohio city to do it on an annual basis and the third in the U.S.,” said Guiley, a lifelong Louisville resident.
So Guiley, came together with his wife, Raeann, and David Yeagley, a local business owner and architect, to help connect 185 multi-color umbrellas between two buildings using wires and a pulley system, making them easy to close in case of bad weather.
But there's no rain on this parade.
From art events, concerts, or just lunch, Umbrella Alley has brought in tens of thousands of people to the small Stark County city, with a population of a little over 9,000.
“When you see people sharing this to their other friends, who have friends around the world and they keep saying, this is our home town. This is my home town, you guys. You know, look what we're doing in my hometown. I love the pride they have,” Raeann Guiley said.
And Guiley said Louisville is the only city in Stark County not to lose a business during the pandemic. In fact, they continue to attract new shops, restaurants and a brewery.
Private entities have also contributed more than $200,000 to help build up the downtown area.
With pandemic restrictions being eased, the Guiley's are looking forward to a busy summer schedule of events.
“During July 4th weekend, professional artists will be chalking this wall just like they did last year. It brought in thousands of people with their interactive chalk art. And prior to that, in June, every Saturday, Arts in Stark is going to have an unplugged event here in Umbrella Alley. It's magic because everyone gets to create their own experience when they come to Umbrella Alley,” Richard Guiley said.