Main Street Mania to put
people in the holiday spirit
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
PRESQUE ISLE – It will be a festive, frenzied atmosphere in the Star City Friday night as the Presque Isle Downtown Revitalization Committee (PIDRC) hosts its eighth annual Main Street Mania, an event where participating businesses stay open later than usual.
Main Street Mania will be held from 6-10 p.m.
“Every business does something a little bit different, and it’s usually very business appropriate since we have everything from retail to service to restaurants involved this year,” said Cathy Beaulieu, owner of Wilder’s Jewelry Store and chair of the PIDRC. “Everybody has their own little niche … a lot of people have in-store drawings and refreshments and it’s a lot of fun.”
Downtown businesses taking part include Country Collectibles, Governor’s Restaurant, Irish Setter Pub, Merchants on the Corner, Mojo, Morning Star Art & Framing, Stew’s Downtown Sight & Sound, and Wilder’s.
“We’re very happy that eight businesses are involved this year,” said Beaulieu, noting that the first year only three businesses participated. “That’s a good number. There was only one year when we had more participation.”
Main Street will remain open during Mania; however, there will be a more visible police presence in the downtown.
“In the past, we have shut down Main Street to do it, we have left Main Street open to do it; we’ve done it a lot of different ways,” said Beaulieu. “This year we’re going to try to keep the Main Street open, but are providing extra police support for that evening to promote pedestrian safety at the crosswalks. It was decided by the city manager and the police chief that we would try – for one year anyway – to step up the number of patrolmen on foot in the downtown area and see how that works. Because this is a main artery, it’s difficult for the Public Works Department to shut it down. We’ll see how it goes.”
Brochures are located at participating merchants. For those who visit each of the eight businesses, they will have a chance to win a grand prize.
“You have to get the brochure stamped or signed,” said Beaulieu. “Wherever you end up at the end of the night, you drop off your brochure. The next morning, we’ll gather them up and will draw the winner. The grand prize is a compilation of things that each of the participating businesses contribute.
“If you’re not a person who wants necessarily to go to all eight stores, that’s OK. You may just favor one of those businesses and they will have plenty of in-house specials going throughout the evening,” she said. “It depends on what you have time for or how much you like to get out and about.”
Main Street Mania is sure to help put customers in the holiday spirit.
“It’s very festive; it’s the night we turn on the Christmas lights in the downtown. It’s a kickoff to the holiday season, and there are so many people in the downtown that night that it’s just a really festive atmosphere which is kind of nice,” said Beaulieu. “We’re such a ‘car society’ that it’s nice to have this ‘pedestrian mentality’ a little bit. Over the years, businesses have really stepped up what they provide for specials that night.
“It’s kind of a take on the Big Box stores’ 4 a.m. Black Friday sales where we decided to do it a week earlier and make it fun,” she said. “We think you should be able to get a deal at 6 p.m. as well as 4 a.m., plus it’s far more pleasant shopping at that hour. There’s a lot of camaraderie and it gives the merchants a chance to work together. It’s really a good time.”
Also during the evening from 5-9 p.m. at Merchants on the Corner, the Presque Isle Elementary PTO will hold a bake sale with proceeds going back into the local elementary schools. PTO members will be selling bowls of chili, cookies, baked goods, coffee, hot cocoa, water and more. Their cookbooks will also be on sale for $5.
