This year the Downtown Billings Alliance is bringing something different downtown to celebrate fall! We will be hosting two FREE fall-centric contests for the community to participate in as the novel COVID-19 virus remains a public health issue.
The first is a Pumpkin Painting Contest where individuals of all ages are invited to submit painted pumpkins as a fun creative outlet and a chance to win a downtown gift card. The submissions for this contest must be delivered to our office, located at 116 N. 29th Street suite A, on Thursday, October 8, 2020 to be put on display for the public to view and vote on October 9 through October 15. View Pumpkin Painting Contest event page for the full event rules and details.
The second fall contest is downtown’s first ever Upcycle Scarecrow Contest. This fall contest is open to all Billings local school groups/classes, families, youth groups, service clubs, business groups, and individuals of all ages. It offers them a chance to demonstrate their recycling smarts and creative skills for a chance to win up to $200. All scarecrows must be constructed of at least 80% recycled, reclaimed, and/or reused materials. Scarecrow submissions are due Wednesday, October 14 or Thursday, October 15, 2020. View all of the contest rules and details on the Upcycle Scarecrow Contest event page.
“We still want the community to know downtown is open and active. Our non-profit organization has chosen to focus on hosting events that do not draw the entire community downtown all at one time just yet. We all miss the street festivals and concerts that typically fill downtown this time of year, but, we are doing our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community. In years past, we’ve measured our event’s success based on the size of the crowd we’ve drawn to downtown. This year the focus is less on crowds and more on consistency of downtown activity. We want the community to continue shopping, dining, and enjoying downtown, and to keep the interaction with downtown fun and safe for everyone.”
– Lindsay Richardson, Director of Community Engagement and Events
Our organization is made up of multiple nonprofits that promote and advocate for a vital city center through programmatic and place-making elements like event management, public art, green space development, business development, clean and safe initiatives, and downtown beautification projects.