Are you finding trips to the lake becoming harder to justify at $4.20 per gallon? Finding it more difficult to go out to eat with escalating food prices? Tired of the average movie experience for a family costing well beyond $50? Wouldn't it be great if there was just one thing that was FUN AND FREE? Please WELCOME the return of Fort Wayne's favorite family activity, the FREE Freimann Family Thursdays!

Last summer, the Downtown Improvement District launched Freimann Family Thursdays, a family-oriented event that happened on Thursday nights at 6 pm in Freimann Square. There was live music and plenty of games, contests and other family-oriented activities. Why Thursdays? “We chose Thursday for two reasons,” says Michael Waskiewicz, Marketing Director of the DID. “The first is there are usually lots of things going on downtown during the weekends in summer. The second is that some people leave town during the weekends, and this gives those people a chance to sample a little of what downtown has to offer.”

Win a Wii, but more importantly, earn bragging rights as the DID and McVans search to find the ultimate Guitar Hero champion in Fort Wayne.

Freimann Family Thursdays features the best national bands around. Each band has been chosen specifically to appeal to families with members of all age ranges. With talent like this performing in Downtown Fort Wayne, Freimann Family Thursdays becomes the best weeknight option around. Join us June 12th for Rock night as FINAL SAY provides the soundtrack for the evening. See you there!

To kick-off Freimann Family Thursdays on June 5, the DID is sponsoring a massive balloon release. Area children will launch a balloon into the air to raise money for their schools by tying a card to a balloon that has their name and school on it. The child’s balloon that goes the farthest will receive a donation to their school from the DID.

The student’s balloon that goes the farthest will win $250, and an additional $500 will be donated to their school.