Port's Pot is Full of Ingredients

I am having a vision here folks. It's OK ... no need to call 911 — yet.

I am calm, no fever and, so far, am not ranting and running about the streets. It's a peaceful sort of private vision. But I want to share it with you. 

The vision has to do with Port Washington. This burg has all the ingredients for an extraordinary town. It is cake that wants to be made — it's almost begging to be made. 

I see a Port Washington with a vibrant downtown. Already its walkable ... the city did a great job with pavement and trees, cobblestone like brick work, and plantings — that is goo, but the foot traffic is much better in my vision.

This is because the buildings are leased to a broad spectrum of interesting shops down the two main streets of Port ... both Main and Grand Avenue. This "L" configuration, hinged by the marina, is bustling with tourists and local regulars who realized that their town is a special town.

There is a Cultural Center, the PWCA or something? Can't quite make it out, but it stands for Port Washington Contemporary Arts. In this center there are dance studios, two theaters, one with a stage and one for film festivals, there is music instruction, visual art instruction, a gallery for local art and a second gallery for featured invited artists. The PWCA in itself is a huge draw, much as the original theaters were in the early days of Port ... and is as well known and patronized as the Cedarburg Cultural Center in that busy town. 

There are bistros, boutiques, specialty shops, microbreweries ... a small but fascinating book store, an organic grocery store and there is a bakery making artisan breads ... the lines in front of which are its best advertising. 

I see festivals — a major blues festival drawing in bands from Wisconsin, tapping into the legendary blues circuit in Minnesota, and pulling up bands from Chicago. We could have the symphony here if we believed we could ... there could be significant music festivals on our lakefront every month of the summer.

Period homes are converting to B&B's as people get onto this accessible and not yet overcrowded place to hang for a weekend of relaxation, good eating and art. The old hotels are renovated and updated. New motels are built on the expressway and the (no relation unfortunately) are booked solid in the high season of the year. 

Of course the marina is running at max. All the events in Port, the options for visitors in dining, entertainment and recreation draw boat owners to this marina in particular. The fishing is off the charts and, after, fishing of course, there are many options on land. 

There is a lot more to the vision, but I can tell you its no pipe dream and I am not "on anything" as I have this vision right now. Port is like a bakers table right now — the tools, the ingredients, the bakers, the recipes are all here, and only one other thing is needed: the belief and support of the people of this town. We can bake it ... if you will come! 

Like all visions ... the manifestation remains to be seen. A lot is happening right now, there is a lot of chopping and mixing and stirring happening in the downtown as I write — but it's not going to happen without support. Without your support right now, this dream will pass to another town, another place — the bakers will gather their tools and move away. That is the way it is.

Just wanted to share this with you.