Citizens Alley is open, and the community is invited to celebrate at a grand opening for the downtown Minot gathering place on Monday, Aug. 11, from 4 to 7 p.m. The outdoor plaza is located on Central Avenue near First Street Southeast.

The project builds on a vision developed by Aksal Group through more than seven years of testing and piloting community uses for the space. What began as temporary activations is now a permanent, people-focused plaza operated by Local Motives, a Minot-based nonprofit dedicated to placemaking and community engagement.

“When people fill the space, Citizens Alley comes alive,” said Jessica Ackerman, executive director of Local Motives, in a news release. “Reimagining an underutilized, people-sized space creates endless opportunities for connection, collaboration and creativity.”

Murals, trees, flowers and globe lights bring color and atmosphere, while amenities like a pop-jet fountain, pickleball courts and a basketball hoop, and lawn games invite activity, according to Local Motives. In the winter, the space transforms into a leisure ice skating rink with ice bumper cars.

In addition to a community ribbon cutting, the grand opening event will feature live music by Melissa Spelchen, Madie Roberts, and It Was Her Idea. There will be food and drinks available, pickleball and yard games, pop-jet fountain fun, along with drawings, giveaways and seek-and-find activities.

Citizens Alley’s redevelopment is part of a broader revitalization of the block by Aksal

Group and was supported by a partial matching Destination Development Grant from the North Dakota Department of Commerce.

“Citizens Alley is the result of public-private partnership, community vision and a belief that great places make great cities,” Ackerman said in the release. “It’s also an economic development asset — showing potential residents, employers and visitors that Minot values connection, creativity and quality of life.”