Sheridan thinks participants could end near the old finish line, walk east on Spokane Falls Boulevard and pick up their T-shirts at the Opera House without too much congestion. "It would bring the people back to downtown where they might be more apt to stick around, attend the events, spend money and have fun together," she wrote. "It seems sooo `Is that all there is?' the way it is now."
For several years before 1998, participants finished the race just south of the intersection of Post and Spokane Falls Boulevard, turned left on Main Avenue, picked up their T-shirts and turned left again to head into the park. River Park Square was remodeled in the late 1990s, though, and it now stands between Spokane Falls Boulevard and Main, blocking through access on Post.
Max Bischoff, chairman of Bloomsday's finish-line committee, is the first to concede that some people want the downtown finish back.
"I'm one of them," he said.
But with 800 people finishing every minute at peak times during the race, there isn't enough room to end on Post and turn left on Spokane Falls Boulevard, he said.
Running south over the Monroe Street Bridge, however, and ending on Monroe a couple of blocks away from the old finish line, could happen one day, Bischoff said.
"It may be possible to do something with that," he said, adding that the Bloomsday board is always looking for ways to bring the finish back downtown, where spectators could crowd together to cheer on competitors.
"It was just sort of more exciting going through that wall of sound," Bischoff said. "It was just a different feeling."
The finish line couldn't move to Monroe until at least 2006, though, because the bridge is under construction until June 2005.
There's also talk of ending Bloomsday north of Riverfront Park near the proposed Inland Northwest Science and Technology Center once, and if, that facility is built.
Last year, the city of Spokane agreed to lease 5.7 acres of land east of the former Ram Restaurant & Brewery for the purpose of a science center. Chris Majer, chairman of the Inland Northwest Science and Technology Center board, said early design plans call for a large open plaza at the center for community gatherings such as Bloomsday.
"The finish has become a little bit of a stepchild, as of late," he said. "We need a natural, elegant place to finish the race."
Majer conceded, though, that "We're nowhere close to having (the center) open. In a perfect world, we'd have this all ready for Bloomsday 2007."
Bischoff said the center's proponents only recently presented their idea to the Bloomsday organization.
"We will not enter into those discussions until after this year's race," he said. "It's a possibility of getting the finish back closer to the downtown core."
Dora-Faye Hendricks, 62, wrote that finishing downtown is ideal.
"We liked the concessions, the availability of restaurants, the buses, and, of course, the green grass of the park to lay on (if we've run the race), or sit on (to watch people)," she said.
Bob Burke, 89, wrote that it "makes sense" to finish Bloomsday near the bronze runner figures.
Robinson Research Inc. conducted a survey in December of 400 past Bloomsday participants to uncover why race participation has dropped in recent years. When it came to the finish line, though, few decried the 6-year-old change.
That surprised Bloomsday coordinators, said Bill Robinson, president of the research firm.
Only 3 percent of respondents said changing the finish line could increase participation. Six percent said doing so would make Bloomsday more enjoyable.
Additionally, 4 percent said "altering the course" and 3 percent said "modifying the race structure" could boost numbers. Seven percent said "altering the course" would make Bloomsday more fun.
But Robinson said interviewers questioned respondents and found that those who suggested "altering" or "modifying" the course weren't referring to the finish line.
"I think we gave them an adequate opportunity to complain about it, but they just didn't," said Robinson, who dresses as a huge vulture and hovers at the top of Doomsday Hill every year.
Despite the longing some Bloomies have to finish the run downtown, some respondents to the Spokesman-Review reader inquiry said finishing near the courthouse is fine.
Jude Shier, 48, runs Bloomsday in honor of her daughter, Chelsea, who died in 1993 and whose birthday was May 1.
"I'm so delighted that Bloomsday continues each year that I don't care where the finish line is," she wrote.
And Karen Armor, 58, wrote that in the 24 Bloomsdays she has run, the location of the 12-kilometer race's end has never mattered.
"I was just glad to be at the finish line," Armor said.
