Outdoor dining tents, live music returning to downtown Wheaton
The outdoor dining season will officially kick off in downtown Wheaton Saturday night.
The city is once again shutting down a stretch of Hale Street to make way for outdoor dining tents, a COVID-19-era adaptation that has helped sustain restaurants still operating under state-imposed restrictions on indoor capacity.
On opening night Saturday, the dining scene will include live music from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. by The Thomas Collective.
Other restaurants downtown have extended their outdoor dining and will have live music this weekend and throughout the summer. The Downtown Wheaton Association recommends that restaurant patrons make a reservation to book a table in the tents. Social distancing guidelines must be followed.
The Hale Street tents will remain up from Saturday to Sept. 7. The premier sponsor of the tent is Innovator Capital Management LLC, which has an office on Hale Street.
"We are very excited to bring the tents back and cannot thank our sponsors enough for helping to make this a reality for the entire community," DWA Executive Director Elle Withall said in a statement.
The tent hours of operation will be from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.