Jefferson Nights Out begin with focus on dogs

Jun. 25—JEFFERSON — Traffic picked up in downtown street well before the first Friday Nights Out event started on Friday at 5 p.m.

The Jefferson Area Chamber of Commerce initiated the event to show off downtown Jefferson and give people the opportunity to grab some food, interact with crafters and make new friends.

Tina Fuller, a JACC member, and her daughter Emily Fuller, coordinated the event for the chamber to showcase the village.

Paw prints appeared on sidewalks in downtown Jefferson, pointing to the theme for the night which was celebrating dogs, Tina Fuller said.

Dogs strolled the area just south of the old Ashtabula County Courthouse and a grassy area just west of the Jefferson Community Center as food trucks started kicking out hot dogs, pizza and other cuisine.

Some of the dogs came in full costume, including Elsie dressed in her 2021 Halloween costume that included a stuffed rodeo rider on her back. Elsie's owner, Melinda Ratican of Roaming Shores, said she was excited about the event, especially the food trucks.

She said it is a long drive for her family to get to restaurants and having the food truck option is a good thing.

John Wooding, director of the Jefferson Village Depot board of directors, said he loves the idea of showing off the village.

"It's great for the community, drawing people in and show them what we've got. The more I live here the more I like it," he said after moving to the village six years ago.

Emily Fuller said the themes for the July 29 and Aug. 26 events have already been determined, with the July event featuring local artists and the August event a "welcome back fall" theme.

Tina Fuller said there were 20 vendors on hand Friday evening and five organizations involved in the event.

"It smells so good," said Karen Cozel, of Jefferson, before biting into her hot dog from a food truck.

"I wanted to check it out ... I think it is great to bring people to the village," she said.

The music scheduled for the July 29 event is Falcon Bluegrass and Gary Pirrung for Aug. 26. The bands are scheduled to play from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the village gazebo.

Tina Fuller said some of the village restaurants were providing specials for the evening.