Free downtown church tours planned on March 31

Those who plan to attend the Casting Crowns concert on Thursday in the Griffin Music Hall are invited to experience the history and architecture of downtown churches prior to the show.

Main Street and the Downtown Business Association are teaming up to host free tours of First United Methodist, First Presbyterian and First Baptist churches.

Beth Brumley, executive director of Main Street, said the tours will begin just before the Crowns, a contemporary Christian rock band, will take the stage as part of The Very Next Thing Spring Tour.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Tickets may be purchased by visiting www.eldomad.com or calling 1-800-965-9324.

Church tours will begin at 4:30 p.m., starting with First United Methodist and end with First Baptist at 5:40 p.m.

Brumley said the tours are part of an ongoing effort by Main Street and the DBA to complement MAD events and activities.

She said a planning group made up of MSE and DBA members has been formed to steer the effort.

“We’re trying to partner with the DBA and encourage the DBA to be creative and piggyback and benefit off of what’s going on downtown with MAD,” Brumley said.

With MAD bringing more visitors to town, MSE board members said they want to work with the DBA to accommodate increased foot traffic in downtown El Dorado.

With the route laid out for the church tours, Brumley said participants will cover most of the downtown area.

“Maybe they’ll come to town a little bit earlier, and maybe they’ll stay downtown,” Brumley said.

The two groups are also partnering with a local radio station for a promotional opportunity that will tie in with another upcoming MAD show and the annual El Dorado Jaycees Easter Egg hunt.

Downtown El Dorado will host its own “egg” hunt on March 31, with live, remote broadcasts planned by Noalmark Broadcasting.

Brumley said Noalmark presented the idea to the DBA, and MSE jumped at the opportunity to participate.

Brumley said more details will be forthcoming, and the event will include prizes, including a golden egg that

will contain two tickets to a show featuring American Idol winner Phillip Phillips Jr. as part of The Magnetic Tour.

The concert will begin at 7 p.m. March 31 in the Griffin Music Hall.

The 23rd annual El Dorado Jaycees Easter Egge Hunt will be held at 10 a.m. the same day in the South Arkansas Arboretum, 501 Timberlane.

Brumley said Main Street and the DBA are working with the Jaycees to bring the Easter Bunny from the arboretum to downtown from noon until 2 p.m.

“The Easter Bunny will leave the arboretum and come downtown to take selfies. There won’t be a professional photographer there, but you can take pictures with the Easter Bunny,” Brumley said.

“We are excited about this promotion, and we think it’s a great tie-in with the Jaycees hunt that day and the Phillip Phillips concert that night,” she continued. “We’re proud of the DBA for being proactive and taking advantage of what’s going on downtown. That’s what makes an economic impact.”

For more information, call the Main Street office at 870-862-4747.

Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-8626611 or tlyons@ eldoradonews.com.