Why First Fridays Are Important to the Life of the Williamsport Community

A children's picturebook has motivated me for years. "Horton Hears a Who" by Dr. Seuss is the story of an elephant who hears a small voice on a small flower and he realizes there must be a very small being on that flower-a living being he calls a "Who." The rest of Horton's world thinks he's crazy and they want to stomp out the flower he is determined to protect. So Horton tells this small "Who" to get all the other "Whos" to yell as loudly as possible so the would-be stompers will hear their voices and realize they can't be destroyed. So "Who #1" gathers all the other "Whos" to join him in yelling, "We are here! We are here!" Only when every single voice is raised, including the one who was too busy to try, do the "Whos" down in "Whoville" make themselves known and save their town.

First Friday calls on every business in Downtown Williamsport to present some special event or exhibit to tell the surrounding community "We are here! We are here!" And it's working! Whereas Otto's might schedule a signing for any old day, if we schedule it on First Friday, we are sure to see a good number of shoppers and/or tourists stop by to visit with our authors who are signing. So be sure to check out our ads and this website to see what each First Friday has to offer at Otto's. You might discover there really is a vibrant downtown community!