Something new will launch Friday. Main Street Fort Dodge is orchestrating Lunch on the Square on City Square from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The goal is to get more people to come downtown to enjoy a festive lunch hour and also spend some time in the shops that are revitalizing the traditional commercial heart of the city. The outstanding green space Central Square affords a superb venue for this event.

There will be three Lunch on the Square gatherings this summer. The first is Friday. The others will be the same hours on the last Friday of July and August, respectively.

The cost of the meal is $6. This Friday’s menu will include walking tacos, a cookie and water provided by the Rosedale Water Store. Money raised from Lunch on the Square will go toward funding free and low-cost future events downtown.

These Friday lunches will offer more than just an opportunity to consume some good food, however. There also will be high-caliber entertainment. This month Alice Gaines, who is originally from Fort Dodge, will perform. She will be singing and playing the ukulele.

And that’s not all.

Students from the Hollingsworth Dance School are going to show the community how very talented they truly are.

Each Lunch on the Square will have sponsors. The nine for this inaugural gathering are Annie’s Bridal, Great Western Bank, Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance, Homespun Collections, Mary Kay’s Gifts and Home Decor, Real Deals on Home Decor, Rush Hour Clothing Co., Studio Fusion and Tillies Quilts.

The Messenger enthusiastically supports Lunch on the Square. We urge our readers to make plans to join in the fun Friday. This new downtown undertaking promises to be a great way to grab a tasty lunch, enjoy being outdoors on a fine summer day and sample some exceptional entertainment. It’s also a superb opportunity to get reacquainted with downtown Fort Dodge if you haven’t spent time there lately.

And after the fun you’ll have this Friday, we suspect you’ll want add to your calendar noontime on the last Friday of July and August. Lunch on the Square is already shaping up as something not to be missed.