LOUISVILLE ‒ The narrow alley stretches beneath a canopy of red, white and blue umbrellas floating overhead, gently swaying in the breeze.
The umbrellas cast patriotic colors onto the pavement below at the landmark Umbrella Alley at 218 E. Main St.
“I love it,” said Laiton Carter, 29, of Carrollton, who works in Louisville.
For a limited time, Umbrella Alley is displaying its “America 250” exhibit to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States. The nationwide celebration will run for a year, with its focus on July 4, 2026.
The exhibit will be on display through July 31. It then will return for one week, from Sept. 14-21, for the city’s Constitution Week festival, according to officials.
The exhibit includes the Battle of Bennington Revolutionary War flag in the form of 5,000 streamers, flanked on both sides by a total of 138 red, white and blue umbrellas.
Retirees Nancy Yates, 77, and Nathaniel Thompson, 78, traveled from Columbus to Louisville on July 8 to see the umbrellas. They enjoy day-trip activities.
“I saw something on Facebook about things to do in Ohio, and I saw the pictures, and I thought this would be a great place for us to come. He loves to take photographs,” Yates said.
Thompson added: “It’s impressive.”
Carter, a school counselor, said she comes to Umbrella Alley occasionally, and she was there with her laptop to work at one of the tables.
She called Umbrella Alley a “positive place.” She said the streamers added “a different touch” to the umbrellas, which felt was “great.”
The alley will return to its traditional, multicolor look in between the exhibit dates, officials said. Then it will have a fall streamer display after Constitution Week.
Reach Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or ben.duer@cantonrep.com. On X (formerly Twitter): @bduerREP.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Louisville’s Umbrella Alley celebrates ‘America 250’ with exhibit, for a limited time
Reporting by Benjamin Duer, Canton Repository / The Repository
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