When celebrate Erie crowds pack downtown this weekend, the Erie Police Department and their law enforcement partners will be ready to keep it safe and fun. Erie Police Chief Dan Spizarny said there will be a big police presence.  "We use the state police, sheriffs department and the Millcreek police all here helping each night so there's a lot of presence of uniformed officers on foot, on bicycles..."

The officers blanket the festival's footprint from 4th Street to 9th Street north-south, and Peach Street to French Street east-west.  And pets, bicycles, and skateboards are not allowed. "Young kids riding through here quickly on skateboards or bicycles run into people, it's just dangerous with the amount of people so those have always been prohibited," Chief Spizarny said.

But this year police will add another safety step. After movie night in Perry Square had to be shut down for the season this year because of some bad behavior by groups of adolescents, Erie police are taking no chances for Celebrate Erie, they want juveniles who come to be accompanied by an adult.

People Erie News Now talked with favor the idea, like Teona Townsend who has younger children and didn't like to see movie night taken away. "If it has to be like that, it has to be like that," she said, "make them have a parent with them." 

While others recognize it may be difficult to enforce.  "I think it's a good idea, but I don't know how they're going to maintain that," said Lisa Connor who works downtown.  "With everything that's been going on in the news,  like at the movie theatres, I think it's best to worry about the safety of everyone, but once again I don't know how they're going to maintain something like that," she added.

But Chief Spizarny said police are determined to make the idea work. "We have an event going on you know, there's a main stage act that's performing and people are here to watch it.  If they're not here to watch it, if they're simply running around in groups through the park not here you know watching the show, then they'll be removed," he said.

Celebrate Erie begins at midday on Friday.  The mainstage acts include country artist Russell Dickerson on Friday, Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes on Saturday night and Erie All Starts Presents: The Beatles on Sunday night.  Admission to Celebrate Erie events celebrating local art, culture, music and businesses is free.