On the heels of what is considered a successful trial run in 2020, organizers of the Market Street Arts and Entertainment District in downtown Mount Airy are preparing for a new season later this spring.
“The trial period went great, but it was definitely a learning experience,” Main Street Coordinator Lizzie Morrison of the group Downtown Mount Airy Inc. told city officials during a meeting earlier this month.
Mount Airy Downtown Inc. spearheaded the launch of the arts-entertainment venue on Market Street. It involved a section of the street being closed to vehicular traffic on weekends to accommodate art and food truck vendors, along with live musical performances, in a pedestrian-friendly environment.
The activities kicked off in September at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and actually were a response to the coronavirus which allowed businesses struggling with indoor gathering restrictions to offer outdoor dining and on-street beer-wine consumption.
Picnic tables were moved in and out of the area to achieve this, with music performed from a stage in the nearby Melva’s Alley that contains a recently completed mural of the late local singer Melva Houston.
At the same time, the pedestrian district allowed area residents lacking such opportunities due to the restrictions to enjoy a festive, but safe, event in the company of others.
“It was just a really great, feel-good kind of program,” Morrison summed up when presenting a project update and evaluation to the Mount Airy Board of Commissioners, which approved plans for the activities last August.
The Market Street downtown-revitalization effort recently received a state award of merit in the category of Best Economic Recovery Initiative, given through the Main Street Program of the N.C. Department of Commerce.
City officials also are pleased with what occurred during the initial operation of the district from Sept. 18 to Nov. 29.
“I had a chance to attend two of these,” Mayor Pro Tem Ron Niland said of the series of weekend festivals.
“And there was a lot of positive feedback,” Niland added. “So I hope we can continue in some form or fashion.”
Changes for 2021
Morrison says organizers are gearing up for a second year of the Market Street Arts and Entertainment District, with a few tweaks recommended as part of a plan the city commissioners will be asked to vote on at an upcoming meeting.
One involves scheduling.
Last year the street was closed to traffic for weekend periods spanning Friday to Sunday.
Only one day of activities is eyed for 2021, on Saturdays from noon to 11 p.m.
The downtown group is seeking to have the district operate on that day during May and June, then shut down in July and August with hot weather not being conducive to the events.
Activities would begin again in September and run through October, removing the Turkey Month from the schedule that was in place last year.
“Truthfully, I think it was too cold for most of November,” Morrison explained. “We did give it a try.”
Another recommendation calls for making six parking spaces and a striped no-parking section along Market Street a permanent pedestrian area. Mount Airy City Schools art students would be enlisted to paint the parking spaces for a colorful street art display.
Morrison is hoping to add to the success achieved in 2020, which included economic-development gains coupled with promoting the arts and social interaction.
“We had artists of all ages, musicians, people and kids who were in the street really enjoying getting back to their community,” she said.
The Market Street gatherings featured a large number of artists displaying and offering their creations for sale, while 12 individual performers and-or bands donated concerts for free.
Along with the exposure the weekend events gave artists and musicians which benefited them economically, three businesses have been launched in second-floor spaces in downtown buildings from among their ranks.
“They really are small business owners in their own right,” Morrison said of those in the artistic community.
Although there was some opposition among Market Street retailers about access being blocked to their stores during the weekend events, Morrison said overwhelming support from the downtown business sector was indicated in recent survey results.
“The consensus is that they all hope it will grow even more,” she said of the Market Street Arts and Entertainment District.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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