After two long years, this popular Lee’s Summit fest is coming back to town

This year’s Downtown Days is special to Matt Fillingham.

“It’s a great way to kick off what is to be our year — again,” Fillingham said.

Fillingham is a trombone player for the Back Alley Brass Band, which will kick off the live entertainment line-up at Downtown Days’ Main Stage at 6 p.m. June 3.

The New Orleans-style brass band was formed in Kansas City in 2019. Downtown Days 2020 was part of a busy debut performance season for Back Alley, but Downtown Days for both 2020 and 2021 were canceled because of the pandemic.

“2020 was supposed to be our year,” Fillingham said. “All of it got canceled.

“For quite a while we shut down. We didn’t rehearse. We didn’t do anything for a few months.”

Eventually, Back Alley Brass started rehearsing and performing a few gigs outdoors. Since the performance schedule remained sparse because of ongoing pandemic concerns, Back Alley recorded an album last winter.

Things have changed and Back Alley Brass musicians are excited. “We are full-steam ahead now,” Fillingham said.

“We want to deliver a really good show. We hope people are still out there.”

Donnie Rodgers Jr. is convinced they will be there.

Rodgers is executive director of Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, a nonprofit focused on the revitalization of Downtown Lee’s Summit. Downtown Days, is the organization’s major fundraiser.

“The festival will very much look like the Downtown Days of years past,” Rodgers said. “The carnival will be back west of the railroad tracks, the main stage located on S.E. Main next to the depot, and Third and Douglas streets will be filled with vendors.”

In fact, there will be nearly 150 vendors this year.

“We’ve had some vendors that have left their applications on file with us over the last two years, just waiting for the return of Downtown Days,” Rodgers said. “So many of our vendors are like family, and being able to welcome them back has been great. We’ve seen a great response in returning vendors.”

The volunteers also have been eager to return, Rodgers said.

“I am always amazed by the turnout we see from our community to volunteer,” he said. “This event would not be possible without hundreds of people donating their time to make it possible. There’s been plenty of hugs at our committee meetings as we’ve come back together.”

Rodgers said Downtown Days generally raises more than $100,000.

“Thankfully, we’ve been blessed these last two years with strong support from our community and were able to utilize some grant programs and other fundraisers so that we didn’t have to cut back or reduce any of our efforts downtown during the pandemic,” he said.

Rodgers said Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street came together to host the first festival in 1989.

“It was really with the simple goal of bringing people back downtown,” he said. “I love that is has become such a tradition for so many and has helped raise money to help transform the heart of our community.

“Those humble beginnings really helped to lay the foundation for one of the best downtowns in the nation. I’m very thankful for those that took a chance to host the first event and feel lucky to be able to build upon their hard work.”

Downtown Days will be held at Southest Main and Sutheast Third streets. It includes free live entertainment, carnival rides, sports zone, festival food, handcrafted goods and two craft beer tents.

Festival Hours: June 3: noon to 10 p.m.

June 4: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

June 5: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, go to downtowndays.org