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Date: 8/1/2023
HOLYOKE — In an announcement through Holyoke Media, the Office of Planning and Economic Development shared news they will be hosting its third annual Doors Open event this fall on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Doors Open provides an opportunity for people to explore and discover hidden architectural gems in the city of Holyoke, and to see behind doors that are rarely open to the public for free. The goal of the event is to connect people with the local destinations in Holyoke of cultural, historical and architectural significance, bridging communities and inspire new and broader perspectives.
Sharing the news was OPED Development Specialist Marie Brazeau who said the city is excited as they gear up for the city’s third annual Doors Open. She added Holyoke got in on the Doors Open trend recently and that different countries have utilized Doors Open events to showcase their communities.
“It’s actually a really old type of event where cities and towns will open doors that are not typically available for the public to get into for free, so it’s a fully day of you get to go into buildings you might not normally get into,” Brazeau explained.
In the past two years locations like Richardson Train Station, the Bell Tower, the basement of City Hall and the Victory Theatre were examples of places opened to the public for exploration. She added places like the Children’s Museum, the Volleyball Hall of Fame and Wistariahurst Museum were locations normally ticketed for entry were free admission for the public. Churches across the city also open and people are able to check out the different and classic architecture or stained glass.
“I think it’s just meant to be a way to learn more about your city and learn in a way that is fun and interactive and gets you to meet people and talk to people and engage in spaces you just don’t normally think, meet people you wouldn’t normally meet, and get into areas of Holyoke that maybe you don’t normally get to go to,” Brazeau said. “It’s just a way to get people to support businesses in Holyoke that they don’t normally go to.”
Brazeau added that OPED wanted to start getting the word out on the event early this year so people are prepared for the day of exploration in the city. She added that soon exploreholyoke.com would have a Google Form Application added so people who want to open their architectural significant building or their business, or their organization for Doors Open can apply and potentially be added as a featured location for the event.
“We’re so happy to have any sites that want to come back. It’d be really awesome to see some of those really exciting sites that got a lot of attention last year come back. We’re also always interested in new sites like the new murals or whoever else wants to be included, we’d love to have them,” Brazeau said.
She added last year a highlight of the event was access to the Victory Theatre which is undergoing renovation and is a project with much support from the city.
This year’s Doors Open Holyoke will also hold some extra significance as it aligns with the city’s celebration of its 150th anniversary as a city. A full day of events is planned to commemorate the city’s 150th anniversary.
The dubbed “Day in the Yoke” will feature the Doors Open event in the morning, but the rest of the day is planned to be filled with more activities on the streets of Holyoke. Following Doors Open will be the 12th annual Great Holyoke Brick Race, and the afternoon and evening will see the Paper City Food Truck Festival also return on High Street and will feature live music along with the food.
OPED Director Aaron Vega said his team is excited to be bringing Doors Open back and expects it to build off the previous two years.
“We’re really hoping people come down and check out some of the history, the architecture, some of the buildings you can’t normally get into, and then hangout for the Brick Race, hangout for some great food and music,” Vega said. “It’s really been great to see the response for Doors Open. People started emailing me two, three months ago asking when the day was for the next one so definitely a lot of excitement about it and we’re really thankful to all the businesses and companies that will open their doors to have people come in.”
For more information about the Doors Open Holyoke event you can reach out to OPED or visit exploreholyoke.com.