ROCKFORD Demonstrators will conduct their weekly protests of racial injustice at Rockford City Market again this year even as an expanded market footprint will make it more difficult to deliver their message to visitors.
Gone this year are dedicated protest zones that officials say demonstrators ignored last year. And the streets where protesters marched a year ago will now be inside an expanded City Market area filled with vendors, displays and activities.
Market and city officials say the demonstrators aggressive tactics are meant to agitate, disturb and disrupt a market where about 55 vendors many of them women and minorities plan to work in an effort to establish or expand businesses. In addition to the pandemic, officials blame the demonstrators and their clashes with police last summer for low market attendance in 2020.
ROCKFORD Rockford City Market will return downtown for its 12th season with more vendors and a larger footprint than ever before.
The annual outdoor event featuring local businesses and creators will welcome patrons back to 116 N. Madison St. on May 21.
On Friday, Rockford City Market and Rock River Development Partnership representatives held a news conference to discuss what s new this year and how the market plans to rebound after the pandemic caused last year s attendance to drop to about a quarter of what it was in 2019.
On opening day this year, patrons can expect to see 54 vendors ranging from restaurants and local farmers to crafters and retailers. There eventually will be 59 vendors, and 61% or 35 vendors are either owned by minorities or women.
ROCKFORD In 2015, Ryan Smiley posed for his high school graduation pictures in front of the Indoor City Market before remodeling construction began. On Saturday, he will officially open his first brick-and-mortar location for his vintage clothing store in that same building.
Smiley s Vintage Supply Co., located at the Indoor City Market, which opened in 2019 at 116. N. Madison St., will host its grand opening Saturday. Smiley is eager to be a part of the revitalization efforts of downtown Rockford.
With roots as an online-only business, the new storefront offers customers the opportunity to purchase clothing and memorabilia from the 1980s and 90s, such as concert T-shirts, Harley Davidson and NASCAR T-shirts, and pro sports merchandise.
The Rockford Register Star’s Excalibur Award is given to an individual for community service and excellence and for making a difference in the Rock River Valley. The Excelsior Award goes to an organization for doing the same. Mustafa Abdall is an Excalibur finalist.
Name: Mustafa Abdall
Occupation: Lincoln Middle School teacher
About the nominee: Mustafa Abdall teaches English as a second language and has been instrumental in helping hundreds of immigrants acclimate to life in Rockford. Earlier this year he was recognized as one of the Rockford Register Star s 2020 People to Watch.
Abdall also is founder of Winnebago Emerging Small Business Services, an organization that focuses on providing support to bilingual and multicultural entrepreneurs. In October, he and his business partner, Moe Allen, took ownership of Ronit s Kitchen, an Indoor City Market restaurant at 116 N. Madison St. and renamed it Guzel, which means beautiful in Turkish.