Live music, giveaways on Saturday
Though not quite as originally planned, the show will go on Saturday with Summer on the Square, which will be held in Downtown El Dorado.
After delays, cancellations and modifications, the event could more aptly be titled Music on the Square, with two live bands that are set to perform at 10 a.m. and noon on Jefferson Avenue between Main and Elm Streets.
Because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Summer on the Square 2020 — presented by Main Street El Dorado in partnership with the Downtown Business Association and the Murphy Arts District — has been significantly scaled back.
The annual event went from an itinerary jampacked with a full day’s worth of activities the fourth Saturday in June, July and August, to a one-day event in August with a schedule that
has been whittled down to fewer activities.
But Beth Brumley, executive director of Main Street El Dorado, said MSE is hoping the event will do what it is intended to do: increase customer traffic for downtown businesses.
“It’s not quite as we had hoped but we’re excited to be doing something to kind of get people out and bring some excitement downtown,” Brumley said.
Plans for Summer on the Square 2020 started off including some of the same activities as years past: Grill Wars, a cooking competition that attracts teams from around the region and serves up a different meat/food for each installment; Showdown at Sunset, a historical re-enactment of a deadly gunfight that took place on city streets in 1902 and was the flashpoint in as long-running feud between two local families; and the Summer Concert Series, which is held in the MAD Amphitheater two blocks south of the Union County Courthouse square; and other summer activities.
With the COVID outbreak, MSE was forced to cancel its spring events, Shamrockin’ on the Square and a reboot of Bugs, Bands and Bikes, a celebration of crawfish season, music and motorcycle culture.
The trend continued with Summer on the Square. The June and July installments were dropped and some activities that had been planned for July were moved to August.
Showdown at Sunset had already been canceled for summer 2020.
Brumley previously explained that COVID-19 made it difficult for the Showdown cast to gather for rehearsals, adding that an actor and a writer/ producer had also moved away from El Dorado.
Last week, MSE announced that Grill Wars was cut from the August lineup because MSE was not able to procure the necessary volunteers that were needed to ensure that COVID-19 safety protocols would be followed, particularly for Grill Wars.
Per an event plan that was approved by the Arkansas Department of Health, at least 18 volunteers were required for Grill Wars to proceed and only nine people had signed up by the deadline.
Fifteen cooking teams had registered for Grill Wars.
Live performances by bands Jimmy Lewis and the 8 Second Ride and Identity Crisis will go on as planned Saturday at 10 a.m. and noon, respectively.
Music-lovers who plan to attend the shows are asked to bring their lawn chairs. Brumley said bleachers will not be set up like they usually are because of COVID-19 distancing requirements.
Brumley said there will also be giveaways throughout the day.
For a chance to win, Brumley encouraged residents to listen to local radio station KIX 103, which will broadcast live from the Square, and to lookout for live streams on the MSE Facebook page.
“We’ll do some Facebook Live for scavenger-hunt type of things,” she said.
Downtown merchants will also offer special promotions for back-toschool shopping, she said.
Many area schools start classes, on-site and online, Aug. 24.
For more information about Summer on the Square, visit the MSE Facebook page or website at www.mainstreeteldorado.org or send an email to Brumley at director@ mainstreeteldorado.org.