Focus on downtown
Events scheduled to promote city center during the pandemic
Main Street El Dorado is navigating the coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic while trying to stick to its goals of drawing people to downtown El Dorado.
MSE has hit a few bumps along the way but board members have continued to adjust to the curve balls that have been thrown by the public health crisis over the past several months.
COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of several downtown events and the postponement of others, as well as raised uncertainties about events that have been planned in the fall and winter.
But working with other groups, including the Downtown Business Association, the Murphy Arts District, the city of El Dorado and Main Street Arkansas, MSE is adapting to a new normal in promoting downtown, a shopping and tourist draw for El Dorado, said Greg Withrow, MSE board president.
So far this year, MSE has canceled Shamrockin’ on the Square, a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, and a revival of Bugs, Bands and Bikes, a popular spring event that featured crawfish, live music, motorcycles and motorcycle culture.
The event had a 15-year run before it was retooled and scrapped in 2014, reportedly due to waning participation from bikers.
First Thursday, a monthly event that was re-launched in 2018 by the DBA, has also been put on hold this year because of COVID-19.
MSE has curtailed its Summer on the Square events — a grilling competition, historical re-enactment and live music concerts done in partnership with MAD —, which are typically held the fourth Saturday in June, July and August.
The June installment of the summer events was canceled and last week, Main Street announced that the July event will be moved to Aug. 22.
Withrow said MSE had to submit a plan to the Arkansas Department of Health for the July event.
Though the plan was approved, Withrow said board members met last week and decided to postpone the July event due to reports of a surge in COVID-19 cases in Arkansas and other parts of the U.S.
“With the uncertainties that come with COVID, we wanted to be ultra-conservative. Even though we had a plan with the Arkansas Health Department, we had 18 cooking teams that were mostly coming from out of state and we wanted to be prudent,” said Withrow.
“There was a lot involved with the procedures that we had to put in place. It took a lot of effort to document people, cookers, on the date of the event and spread them out on the (downtown) square with markers,” Withrow explained. “Hopefully, by August, things will have settled down with COVID and we can do our event and do it safely.”
The plan that was approved by the state includes various entry points onto the downtown square. Temperature screenings must be conducted at each entrance and attendees must wear face masks.
Families and friends who arrive together may be sectioned off into groups and each group must social-distance by at least 6 feet.
“You can take your mask off while you’re sitting with your family but you have to put it back on if you get up,” Withrow said.
The same safety measures will be followed in August.
With MSE looking ahead to fall and winter, Withrow said a different set of considerations for spacing and distancing will have to be taken into account for an event such as MusicFest, which is set for Oct. 3.
For Summer on the Square, attendees are asked to bring lawn chairs but bleachers are typically set up for MusicFest performances, which include students from local schools.
“If we use bleachers, we’ll have to have gaps between them, so it’s a much more detailed plan that we’ll have to put together,” Withrow explained.
He said MSE has tracked the success of other local outdoor events, including recent concerts that have been held at the Union County Fairgrounds.
“Of course, the layout is different downtown. You don’t have as much space with all the buildings, so it will be different than in the past,” Withrow said.
Beth Brumley, executive director of MSE, said the DBA recently held its first meeting since March and downtown merchants are planning promotional campaigns to help bounce back from hits they have taken from COVID-19.
Downtown businesses either closed temporarily or cut back operations during the early wave of the virus.
At least two businesses, the Travel Emporium and Mr. Tuxedo, that rely heavily on seasonal events and activities, such as proms, weddings and summer travel, have closed up their brick and mortar stores amid the cancellation of such events and moved away from downtown.
Though some downtown merchants are continuing to struggle, they have not been discouraged and are being proactive in rebounding from COVID19-related losses, Brumley said.
A Love Local event was held last month to let the public know that “Downtown is Open” and to invite shoppers to support downtown shops and restaurants.
Withrow said merchants will offer specials during Summer on the Square in August and Brumley said a restart of First Thursday is planned for September.
The DBA is working a promotional campaign to pay tribute to and shine the spotlight on the various downtown businesses and moving full steam ahead with a holiday promotion and events, including the annual Holiday Open House in November.
“They are being proactive and they are taking that stand and they want everybody to know they’re open,” Brumley said.
Withrow made similar statements, “The whole reason we do what we do is to get people to come downtown. Downtown businesses have felt the COVID-19 situation and they’re all working hard to keep their doors open.”
Brumley said MSE is also encouraged by the recent opening of two new downtown businesses, Wildcat Nutrition on July 9 at 104 E. Elm and Diamond Nutrition on July 14 at 103 S. Washington.
She also announced that attorney Matt Thomas, whose office is located at 103 E. Main, plans to expand into the adjacent suite that was formerly occupied by Travel Emporium.
Withrow and Brumley said MSE will continue to do what it can to make sure downtown El Dorado maintains its economic vitality.
“One of Main Street’s goals is to help support downtown business growth and economic development. These events we put on are to, hopefully, get people to come to El Dorado that haven’t been to El Dorado.”