Now that Main Street El Dorado has wrapped up MusicFest, Airstreams on the Square and Scare on the Square, the group is now gearing up for the "Best Christmas Ever!" with a calendar full of festive events in downtown El Dorado.
MSE is inviting the community to celebrate the holiday season by exploring the city's Central Business District while it is decked out in its holiday splendor.
Christmas shopping, horse-and-carriage/train rides and ice skating are just a few of the holiday activities that are in store for downtown visitors in the coming weeks, starting Nov. 17 with the Holiday Lighting Ceremony.
MSE is teaming up with the Downtown Business Association and the Murphy Arts District for the city's 2022 holiday theme and promotional campaign, "Best Christmas Ever!"
In September, the groups announced the campaign and secured $15,000 from the El Dorado Advertising and Promotion Commission to help launch and develop an advertising push that will market El Dorado to Central Arkansas and North Louisiana for the holiday season.
Also serving as sponsors for the holiday events are Murphy USA, Standard Lithium and Lawrence Electric
"Christmas is our bright and shining star. We're working with (the DBA and MAD) to make El Dorado a destination for the 'Best Christmas Ever!'" said Beth Brumley, executive director of MSE.
The groups partnered in similar fashion for the 2021 holiday season. Last year's theme was "Merry and Bright".
The effort was deemed a success, with organizers reporting an uptick in visitors from the Ark-La-Tex region, particularly the Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana, and East Texas areas.
Last spring, Rexayn Tribble, president of the DBA, said fourth quarter sales in 2021 were "awesome" and "very strong" for downtown merchants.
"All of us were on the same page, the same theory and the same theme," she continued. "We definitely saw a lot of foot traffic come in from that ... We want to keep that moving."
Brumley made similar statements in July, saying, "We need to maintain advertising with them because we had a lot of people come from (the Ark-La-Tex) for Christmas."
MSE, the DBA and MAD approached the A&P commission Sept. 7 with a funding request of $15,000 to match funds that they are contributing to the 2022 holiday campaign.
Tribble reiterated then that the joint venture "made a huge impact on downtown" in 2021.
"We all piggybacked on each other ... We saw people that we had never seen, towns we'd never heard from spending dollars that we've never had in El Dorado," she told A&P commissioners.
The 2022 downtown holiday events schedule includes:
• 5:30 p.m., Nov. 17, Holiday Lighting Ceremony. The annual event and El Dorado's official kick-off to the holiday season will be held on the east side (Jefferson Avenue) of the Union County Courthouse. The ceremony will include live entertainment from local dance groups, singers and other performers. Brumley, Alexis Alexander, executive director of United Way of Union County, and Cindy Langston of KTVE/MyArkLaMiss will emcee the ceremony. Santa will serve as the honorary switch-thrower to illuminate the downtown district with holiday lights and he will be available for pictures afterward. Photos with Santa will be free and may be taken with cellphones or personal cameras. The Salvation Army of El Dorado will hand out free cookies and hot chocolate to the crowd and launch its annual Red Kettle fundraising campaign.
• Nov. 17 - Dec. 2, Window Decorating Contest. The community is invited to help decide the winner in a downtown window-decorating contest that begins the same night as the lighting ceremony. Displays must showcase the "Best Christmas Ever!" theme and will be judged on visual impact, creativity and overall use of the theme. Prizes will be awarded to first-, second- and third-place winners. Votes may be cast w by donating new, non-perishable items to participating businesses. The window with the most donations will win the first-place prize. Voting ends on Dec. 2.
• 1 - 4 p.m., Nov. 20, Downtown Holiday Open House. Downtown merchants will open their stores, restaurants and other venues to the public. The festive celebration will include special savings, sales and seasonal treats. Santa will make a guest appearance. Free train rides will be available in front of PJ's Coffee and Cinderella horse-and-carriage rides on Washington Avenue at a cost of $5 per person. Brumley said horse-and-carriage rides will be available downtown only on Nov. 20. The holiday express train will also offer free rides on Dec. 10.
"There's a possibility that the train will run on other days and that's going to be on (the owners') schedule and for them to work that out," Brumley said.
"Kids will be able to sit on their parents' lap for free for the horse-and-carriage rides. It'll be the same princess carriage from last year," she said.
• 8 p.m. - midnight, Nov. 24 Black Friday. A select group of downtown merchants will open on the evening of Thanksgiving for Black Friday promotions. MSE and the DBA have said the pajama party-themed event has had a great turnout and crowds have enjoyed "tremendous" savings while getting a jump-start on their holiday shopping.
• Nov. 27, Small Business Saturday. Downtown retailers will unite for Small Business Saturday®, a national campaign that is sponsored by American Express and encourages shoppers to make a big impact by shopping at small businesses.
"Our downtown square is the heart of our community and small businesses are the backbone," noted Brumley.
"Without these independent retailers, restaurants, and business owners, our downtown would be a collection of empty buildings," she continued. "This is a great way for residents and visitors to show support for our small businesses."
Retail stores will offer a free holiday gift tote while supplies last. Operating hours vary, with most downtown stores opening by 10 a.m.
• 7 p.m., Dec. 1, El Dorado Christmas Parade. The 2022 parade will include a secondary theme, "Scooby-Dooby-Doo, Merry Christmas to You", featuring Scott Innes, an actor, author, songwriter and radio personality. Innes is perhaps best known for voiceover work, including Shaggy Rogers, Frederick "Freddy/Fred" Jones and Scrappy-Doo, all characters from the Scooby-Doo animated film and TV series; Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble; Papa Smurf; Bugs Bunny; Yogi Bear; Elroy Jetson and more.
Believed to be South Arkansas' largest holiday parade, the event draws scores of spectators each year, with many having "made a tradition of watching the cavalcade of entries from the picturesque setting of the downtown square."
The parade begins on the north end of North West Avenue and travels south to Main Street before turning east and then heading north on Jefferson Avenue. The deadline to enter the parade is 3 p.m. on Nov. 18. Late entries will not be accepted. For more information, call the El Dorado-Union County Chamber of Commerce at 870-863-6113 or visit the GoElDorado website and click the events tab.
• 11 a.m. - 2 p.m., Dec. 10, Santa on the Square. Santa Claus is coming downtown and MSE is encouraging parents to bring their kids and their wish lists to meet Old St. Nick and take free photos on the east side (Jefferson Avenue) of the Union County Courthouse. Free train rides will start in front of PJ's Coffee. Santa's friends at Southern Realty Group will hand out cookie kits "for all the good little girls and boys to decorate at home" and Barton Library will host Story Time on the southeast corner of the courthouse.
• Nov. 19 - Jan. 2, MAD on Ice in the MAD Amphitheater. MAD on Ice features a real ice rink that has drawn throngs of people from El Dorado and surrounding area, Arkansas and other states for the past three years. Admission is $14 per person for "All-Day Skate," plus a $3 skate rental fee. For hours of operation or additional information, visit www.eldomad.com or call 870-444-3007.
• MSE gift cards are available for purchase in $25 increments. The cards are good at participating retail stores and restaurants in downtown El Dorado.
For more details holiday events or to purchase gift cards, call the MSE office at 870-862-4747 or visit the MSE Facebook page or website at www.mainstreeteldorado.org. Also, follow @mainstreetledorado on social media for updates.