The Downtown Danville Streetscape project has been completed. To celebrate, the city of Danville is hosting a ribbon cutting and “Snowman Shuffle” on Saturday, Feb. 17.

Downtown has new sidewalks, street lights, traffic lights, curb bumpouts, a new fountain, expanded outdoor seating, and more.

“We’re excited to finally say the project is complete,” said City Engineer Josh Morgan. “We want to bring everyone downtown to celebrate and show off the final result. The community has been very patient during this process, and the downtown small businesses have been so resilient, so we’re inviting the community to come together in celebration of that.”

Celebrations kick off at noon with an ice-skating rink with skates provided, inflatables, and hot chocolate, all free to the public. 

At 2 p.m., Danville-Boyle County Parks and Recreation will begin the Snowman Shuffles races. There will be multiple 100-meter races for children ages 12 and under. It is encouraged for runners to wear snowman costumes. 

There will be prizes awarded in each category for first, second, and third place along with an award for best snowman costume. Pre-registration is preferred but not required. Registration is available on the Danville-Boyle County Parks and Rec website, or in person on Feb. 17 near the ice rink by 1:30 p.m. 

For adults, the first 200 guests will be given a commemorative puzzle featuring the artwork of local painter David Farmer but with an extra challenge. To get all the pieces to the puzzle, there will be 10 downtown businesses you must visit to acquire all of your puzzle pieces. 

At 4 p.m., there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony near the intersection of Main Street and Third Street. The ceremony will feature a performance by the Danville High School Choir. David Farmer will be presenting the original painting used to make the puzzle provided to guests.

“Downtown Danville always has great events. This is just another opportunity to come together and celebrate as a community,” said Danville Community Liaison Melanie Crossfield. “Winter is wildly underrated. Our city is beautiful and there’s so much to be proud of, even in the chilly months.”