Sioux City Adventures: My 5 Favorite Things About Fridays on the Promenade
By Nakia Tyler
I have a quick confession before I begin.
Although this is apparently its 8th year in existence, I had never heard of Fridays on the Promenade until this earlier this summer, when my boss mentioned that it was starting soon.
I asked him what it was and he told me that it was an outdoor event, by the Promenade, that featured live music, food, and drinks. It sounded pretty cool, and I thought to myself, ‘Hey, I should check that out.’ In typical Nakia fashion, however, I kept forgetting about it, or opting for my more familiar activities instead.
When I heard that this Friday was the last concert of the year, I decided to stop putting it off. Using this column as an excuse, I recruited my friend Phil, who had also never heard of this event, and he agreed to come with me for moral support on my first official Sioux City adventure.
Here were my five favorite things about my experience with Fridays on the Promenade:
#1: The smile stamp
When you pay your $3 cover charge at the entrance, they stamp your hand with a little smiley face. I might be outing myself as a total nerd, but this honestly made the whole night worthwhile for me.
#2: SproutStream
It was awesome to see the SproutStream in attendance. Unfortunately, I ate before we went, otherwise I totally would have devoured one of their vegan spring rolls. Yum!
#3: The refreshments
As someone who doesn’t drink alcohol, I was delighted that we were able to purchase a couple of Diet Cokes from the little bar they had set up there. Added bonus: they were only $2 per can!
#4: The lawn chairs*
One of the first things you see when you visit the Fridays on the Promenade website, is a little circle that says “Bring Your Lawn Chairs!” People take that very seriously. The entire lot was like a sea of navy blue and forest green polyester lawn chairs, lined up next to each other in true concert fashion. There were a few too many Hawkeye and Husker logos for my liking, but I saw at least one awesome Cyclone fan arrive before I left, so that made it okay.
* As a side note, I would like to mention that you can still enjoy Fridays on the Promenade without your lawn chairs. Phil and I didn’t bring any, and we still had a fabulous view of the event from the fountain near the entrance. We found the water droplets quite refreshing! There were also a fair number of people that simply stood around, so going chair-less is doable.
#5: The cost
Now, I don’t want to sound like a cheapskate or anything, but going out can get pretty expensive in this town. On Friday, I spent $10 total for two people to enjoy two hours of live entertainment and a nice, refreshing beverage. If we would have walked ten feet and seen a movie instead, the tickets alone would have been twice that price.
Overall, Fridays on the Promenade was a positive experience. Will I go again next year? I’ll never say never, but if I’m being honest, it wasn’t really my thing. Don’t let that deter you from checking it out, though, because it could totally be your thing. And even if it’s not your thing, sometimes – as I’m quickly finding out – just trying new things is fun in itself!
What would you like to see me try out next? What’s your favorite thing to do in Sioux City? Let me know in the comments below. Again, I’ll try anything, as long as it’s not dangerous, illegal, or harmful to others (including our animal friends).
Nakia Tyler is the Junior Firestarter at Team Creative Fire. When she isn’t exercising her creative muscle, she spends her time fan-girling over Doctor Who, playing with her adorable niece, and chowing on vegan food. If you see her out and about this summer, feel free to say hi. She’ll probably be wearing pink.
About the Author
Nakia Tyler Nakia is a Web Specialist at Team Creative Fire. When she isn’t exercising her creative muscle, she spends her time fan-girling over Doctor Who, playing with her adorable niece, and channeling her inner Hello Kitty. If you see her out and about having adventures, feel free to say hi. She’ll probably be wearing pink.
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