Main Street El Dorado is preparing for its first event of the year Saturday with the annual St. Patrick's Day celebration.
Shamrockin' on the Square is set for 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. in downtown El Dorado. Admission is free and some activities are paid.
Beth Brumley, executive director of MSE, said the group is excited for visitors to explore downtown El Dorado, particularly since the city has been named one of the top 14 Best Weekend Getaways in Arkansas by the Trips to Discover travel website.
In an article that was updated Tuesday on the website, El Dorado was ranked among some of the most well-known tourist destinations around the state, including Little Rock, Eureka Springs, Hot Springs, Van Buren, Bentonville, Fayetteville, Bull Shoals Lake, Ozark National Park and others.
El Dorado was recognized for its historic, award-winning downtown that is reminiscent of the city's oil boom past; the Murphy Arts District; South Arkansas Arboretum; Lions Club Municipal Golf Course; and more.
The list was expanded to highlight a nearby site in South Arkansas that offers outdoor activities: Lake Columbia in Columbia County.
Brumley said she learned about the listing Tuesday morning in an email from Trips to Discover and MSE immediately posted the news on its website and Facebook page.
The group recently received more good news that stems from another of its annual events.
The Arkansas Razorback Airstream Club presented MSE with a check for $5,000 as a part of an annual donation that follows Airstreams on the Square.
Since 2018, MSE has teamed up with ARAC to present Airstreams, which is part of a nationwide campaign to stage Main Street/urban camping events in order to promote the Airstream lifestyle and help stimulate economic development and vitality in small-town America.
El Dorado is the first and only city in Arkansas to host such an event.
Airstreams 2022 was held Oct. 20 - 23 and drew nearly 60 RVs, the most in the history of the event, that camped out downtown, splintering from the Union County Courthouse Square.
The event includes activities, including a street dance, that are open to the public while RVers are in town. RVers also spend money in downtown businesses, donate to a local charity and engage with community residents while they are here.
Each year, ARAC makes a donation to the local Main Street program and promises to return the following year.
For Airstreams 2022, the state group recently presented a check in the amount of $5,000 to assist with the MSE program.
Airstreams 2023 is set for Oct. 19 - 22 and will feature a "Whodunnit" theme.
For more information, call the MSE office at 870-862-4747.