Fredonia recently put up utility pole banners on its portion of Central Avenue as part of the program. The street, stretching from One Temple Square in downtown Fredonia to the Dunkirk Pier, will also be the site of a “slow roll” bike ride June 19.

The banners attempt to tie the two ends of Central Avenue together using the Central Connection name and logo. They actually begin on Temple Street through Barker Common in downtown Fredonia, and tout that park. After leading to the beginning of Central Avenue, the banners change to simply “Village of Fredonia” at the Central Avenue and Day Street intersection.

The signage changes to promote the State University of New York at Fredonia, naming the school and turning to its navy blue color, a little short of Forbes Place. It goes back to “Village of Fredonia” around Birchwood Drive and stays that way until the city line, when it starts to read “City of Dunkirk.”

The banners promote the Dunkirk Business District from Seventh Street to Third Street. From there all the way to the end of the Pier, they say “Dunkirk Harbor” and are in a nautically-appropriate shade of aqua blue.

A Village of Fredonia Central Connection sign on Central Avenue, near the border with the city of Dunkirk, is pictured Wednesday. OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford

This is the first time Fredonia has erected the Central Connection banners. They were delivered in the summer of 2019 — Dunkirk put theirs up for a short period of time that year before winter set in, but Fredonia did not.

In 2020, with social distancing emphasized due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the banners never went up in either municipality.

Another thing the pandemic delayed, which is now coming to fruition, is a Central Avenue non-competitive bike ride for people of all ages and skills to enjoy.

Set for June 19, the “slow roll” is getting coordinated by Lucas Natali of Fredonia Cycling. Officials from both municipalities, including Dunkirk Mayor Willie Rosas and Fredonia Mayor Doug Essek, met with Natali in May to hammer out details.

Riders will start gathering on Day Street in Fredonia at 10 a.m. and begin heading down Central Avenue at 10:30 a.m. There will be stops at the Lambert Avenue Playground and at the Big Dipper, and cyclists will be able to go all the way to the Dunkirk Pier if they want. Fredonia Cycling will provide escorts for each group of cyclists.

“It’s kind of a small loop, medium loop and a big loop, based on your experience and ability to pedal,” Fredonia Mayor Doug Essek told the village Board of Trustees May 24.

After Trustee EvaDawn Bashaw wondered why there weren’t any stops at SUNY Fredonia, Essek explained that this will be a trial run and future slow rolls will include the college.

Dates and formats for future Central Avenue slow rolls aren’t clear. Jill Meaux, Dunkirk’s director of planning and development, told the Common Council Tuesday the organizers in Fredonia want it to be a monthly event. She added that more coordination between the communities will be needed for future rides.

“This is just one thing to start the collaboration again between Fredonia, Dunkirk and SUNY Fredonia,” Essek said.

The Dunkirk Common Council and Fredonia Board of Trustees both took actions Tuesday to approve the June 19 ride, including providing for police escorts at busy intersections.