Rainin' on Main Dampens Rockin' on Main(posted May 29) (story revised June 1) Blame it on the rain, but something else happened besides the weather that produced the small turn out to the May 25th Rock' in On Main Street concert . Main Street's first concert failed to draw fans from the aftermath of the Kid Rock Concert. Instead of a huge crowd jamming and dancing in the street, some of the sparse crowd of about 200 often sought refuge inside Dawson's On Main to escape from the intermittent downpours. Most of the faces seen were those of local residents who ventured out to support Main Street and the Speedway Redevelopment Commission's efforts to revitalize the area. The concert proceeds were suppose to benefit the Speedway Community Development Corporation, but the SRC ended up waiving the $5.00 cover charge because of the unpredictable weather. The CDC is non-profit group that can assist with financing the Main Street revitalization efforts. One of the benefactors of the proceeds was to assist in relocating the old house at 4900 W. 16th Street to 1330 Main Street. The event included sponsorships from the SRC, Abrams and Associates, Barnes and Thornburg, Dawson's On Main Street, and Miller Lite. "It is raining," SRC President Scott Harris said. Guy Kuriwa said he was biased toward the event because he is a friend of the band 5 Minutes 2 Wapner. "Aside from the weather, people are having a good time," he said. Dave Newman, who plays the keyboard, said he joined the band six months ago. He called the event pretty cool despite the weather holding the people back. Chris Hill, one of Dawson's owners, used the word disappointing to describe the low turn out due to weather. "You can't control the weather," he said. Hill spent several months organizing the event because he believed in the revitalization effort. "You can't die on the vine," he said. Matt Hefty, chef, said he tossed the idea around last year to Hill. The suggestion was based on his experience from living in Chicago suburb where the restaurant he worked hosted a similar event. "It was great exposure for downtown. People were able to ride their bikes or walk to the concert," He commended Chris for his organizational efforts to orchestrate the event and was sympathetic to lose out to mother nature. Poor marketing could have been part of the issue for the low turnout. Even the SRC's own web site failed to announce the concert. No posters were displayed in business windows along Main Street. Julia Pratt said she only saw the announcement in a local paper. "It was a great idea. I applaud their efforts, but a stronger marketing campaign was definitely needed. I did not see any posters up at Kroger or Marsh," she said. However a sign was posted at Old Farm Market several days prior to the event. On May 26th, WISH-TV, Fox 59, and WRTV-6 all reported they did not receive any communication about the concert. However, one concert goer said he saw the ad in the Indianapolis Star's sports page. "It was the biggest fiasco I have ever seen," Connie Norton, owner of Main Attraction Antique Mall, said. The rain out was not the fiasco she was referring to, it was the SRC's continual coddling to Dawson's at the expense of the other Main Street businesses. "They put a tent up in front of my business. It blocked my view and I did not have a customer that after noon. It was so unfair," she said. The east side of Main Street was not utilized for the event. Norton said she was first approached earlier in the year about having a street festival later in the year. She favored the idea because her antique dealers could have exposure, but ten days ago, the picture changed. She said she was notified by a town councilman that it was going to be a live band. Norton was disappointed that she couldn't really participate in the event because it was altered from a street festival to an evening concert. This did not meet her market niche and strategy because it was no longer a family event. Her visions of using a face painter to entertain the children were dashed. "I have signed a contract with my 42 dealers that I will sale their wares. I have responsibility to be open. I am so disillusioned that I really didn't want to come to work today," she said. The concert was for the over-21 crowd. Her store hours were not compatible with the concert's hours of 6 to 11 p. m. like Dawson's. On June 1, Connie Harris of The Speedway Chamber of Commerce argued Norton's statements, saying the tent was not up until after 4:30 p. m. She said the energy sources were on that side of the street. Harris said there is "no conspiracy" to ruin any business on Main Street. "This is the perfect business for Main Street," she said. It doesn't make sense for people to think there is a conspiracy to ruin their business. "We passed out fliers about the antique mall when we were selling tickets," she said. "I don't have a spiteful heart. Scott (husband) and I decided two years ago to do everything we could to turn Speedway around. We don't own property on Main Street. We have nothing to benefit from him serving on the Speedway Redevelopment Commission," she said. On June 1, a public notice listed Norton's business as part of the SRC third parcel list for acquisition for a price of $200,000. "I admit we made mistakes, but this is our first event. Speedway is about the only small town that does not have a Main Street event. It was our first one. We needed to start planning earlier than five weeks out,"she said. Harris explained it wasn't until about eight days before the event that they knew the exact details of the event. She feels bad that Dawson's took all the financial risk and then for the event to succumb to the rain and miss the draw of Carbueration Day fans. |
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