Right now, Mill Creek Town Center is a fairly modest place — two buildings open for business surrounded by numerous construction sites.
So perhaps it’s fitting then, that the first time the Mill Creek Festival makes its way into the new development, that it too should be a modest affair.
This year, Town Center is one of six locations in Mill Creek that will host activities for Saturday’s festival. It is the first event that will take place in the area.
“It’ll be pretty light,” said G.E. “Red” Jacobsen, the developer of Park Place Center and a member of the Mill Creek Business Association, which is putting on the festival.
This year’s Town Center activities include a mariachi band, a magician and about 10 booths with various vendors.
But despite the modest beginnings, Jacobsen hopes to make the event’s presence in Town Center larger.
He said he’s been compiling information from other festivals in other areas to get ideas of what can be done in Mill Creek with the festival. So far he’s been working with organizers of various festivals in Edmonds, getting information and ideas from them. He’s even obtained materials about summer festivals while vacationing in Kelowna, British Columbia.
“We need to plan a year ahead of time,” Jacobsen said. “I really want to make it spectacular.”
He even envisions having a Taste of Mill Creek event, similar to Taste of Edmonds, in Town Center in the future.
“We have to get ideas from our neighbors who have been successful.”
One idea Jacobsen said he is contemplating is trying to create a craft fair as part of the Mill Creek Festival. The craft fair could take place along Main Street between 153rd Street SE and 151st Street SE, with booths lining the road, which could be closed for the one-day event. Jacobsen has yet to approach the city of Mill Creek with the idea of closing part of Main Street next year.
Part of his idea includes having live music, which could take place on the three stages he is building into his next retail-restaurant development, Creekside Village. The project, which will break ground later this summer, should be completed by spring 2005.
“It’s really made for it,” Jacobsen said about Creekside Village.
In addition, much of the construction that is taking place in Town Center – including Creekside Village, University Book Store, Central Market and other buildings – will be done by the time next year’s festival comes around.
“We’ll have a lot more to offer next year,” Jacobsen said.
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