For years, I have read in the papers and heard the Commission talk and discuss needing to bring more people downtown... "We need to find ways to bring more people downtown!"... "We need to develop the downtown area so more people will shop downtown." Etc, etc, etc.. the cry goes out!
We did the downtown Streetscape to ...bring more people downtown...
We discussed and rehashed the window ordinance so downtown would be more attractive and... bring more people downtown...
On and on it goes. Although I am not a business owner downtown, I don't disagree... Mainstreet America is a big selling point for small towns and one of their charms.
SO, imagine my shock when reading in the paper how the Prairie Fest detour is going to take people AROUND downtown, NOT bring them downtown. WHAT???
Then, as I read on, I discover the reason for the detour is ONE block of Summit!! One, little block and they are sending all their traffic AWAY from downtown. Can Prairie Fest not pick ANOTHER block to block off...one of the avenues perhaps?? Or, better yet, how about leaving Central blocked off between Summit and First (If the paper got it right which has been a problem in the past... Have you EVER seen a 2 X 4 that is two FEET by four FEET?? Try inches!) and also block off Central between First and Second and utilize the adjacent parking lot. The festival will be visible for EVERYONE driving down Summit and they just MIGHT be compelled to stop and check it out. Once they are out of their cars, they just MIGHT visit some of the businesses downtown, who, if they were smart, would be running and advertising Prairie Fest specials to get the attention of those travelers.
With just a bit more initiative, they could put signs up all along Summit announcing the event on those days and directing traffic to the festival. They might even be able to put it on the bank digital signs and other business marquis' along Summit and actually get some out of town interest in the event. Maybe a banner at each entrance to town announcing the festival? (I think they have done that in the past. But, putting up the construction fencing around Wilson Park made it look very uninviting and hard to get into, so I think many folks thought, "Why bother....".)
Folks, you have a GOLDEN opportunity here, so let's think outside the box just a little bit and make this "inconvenience" work for you instead of against you! It's not too late to change your minds!!
Any downtown business owners reading this? What are your thoughts??
PS. I'm glad I won't be driving a semi southbound and have to try and negotiate a right hand turn off of Kansas onto F Street. Take a little drive through there and imagine 48 feet of trailer behind you sitting on the tracks while you wait for the northbound lane to clear to make the turn. I'll bet those drivers will remember Ark City, but NOT in a positive light!!!
I couldn't agree more. I think the Prairie Fest organizers blew it on this one. And of all the years for them to move it downtown they picked the one with the detour.
I dont think they thought this one out. With the detour all the cow trucks that have to go down town, and now u are going to put them onside streets. At the end of the the week that should smell nice
I believe the planning for having Prairie Fest downtown started long before the necessity of needing a detour was announced. As for the turn on F street, F street was the truck route for years. That turn was made a lot.
I have to agree that this detour business has been a nightmare! We live east of town and are directly affected by the Kansas and 77 construction. It has been quite a challenge getting into town and then with the added detour signs placed in town during prairiefest....I was really unsure which way to go.
My question would be WHO decided on this new construction and how did they come up with the idea that it would help? What ever happened to the new overpass by the middle school to go over the railroad tracks? Why couldn't the two projects be done at the same time to avoid further traffic problems? Or has the overpass been done away with?
Well, they gave it a try. The Kansas wind had those vendors tents about ready to fly, and then in the afternoon there was *** no*** shade and temps in the high 80' by noon and climbing. Other than Graves and Stage it seemed that most of the other downtown businesses were closed at noon. I asked Ellen Snell about tours of the Burford. She said only some of the Reunion class had been through the theater that morning. So what used to be a pleasant day in the park turned into a windblown morning on the pavement of Summitt St. Several of the vendors told me that if it is on Summit next year they didn't think they would return (and two of those I talked to have been coming to Prairie Fest for years). The quality of the vendors that were there was high but there were so few of them.
I don't know who the Traveler Reporter interviewed that gave such a glowing report. Seemed to me that only a few handfuls of people came down and most were leaving after only an hour or so to get out of the wind and sun.
Lets have Prairie Fest back in the Park where it belongs.
