A record 50 campers participated in the 6th annual Airstream on the Square last month, and about half of that number will return to El Dorado for the 2024 event.
However, this time the group plans to visit the city in the spring instead of in the fall.
Main Street Eldorado Executive Assistant Holly MacDonald announced Tuesday that the Airstream will be held from April 25th to 29th.
This annual event is part of a national campaign by MSE and Arkansas to host Main Street/urban camping events to promote the RV lifestyle and stimulate economic development and vitality in America’s small towns. It is traditionally hosted in the fall by the Razorback Airstream Club.
R-Bars from multiple states set up camp in designated areas around the Union County Courthouse Square and spent a few days in town, participating in activities, shopping at local businesses, and donating to local charities. I will.
Airstream 2023 was held from October 19th to 22nd.
At MSE’s regular Board of Directors meeting, Mr. McDonald announced that the 2024 event will be held on October 5-10, 2024, as ARAC members are scheduled to participate in the 67th Airstream Club International Rally in Missouri. He said he plans to do so in March.
McDonald said the Airstream 2024 registration period opened last week, and as of Tuesday, 25 campers had already registered.
Outgoing MSE board chairwoman Dawn Kelly said the organization will be collecting aluminum soda can tabs to help raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Launched in 2018, Airstream is the only such event held in Arkansas.
MSE Executive Director Beth Brumley previously said the 2023 event will include states such as Arkansas, Georgia, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Virginia, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. reported that a total of 112 campers and 50 RVs participated.
Brumley said a review of Placer.ai data showed at least 6,600 visitors came downtown during the four-day event last month.
Placer.ai software uses mobile phone data to count the number of people gathering within a specified radius.
In June, the El Dorado Advertising and Promotion Committee approved a $10,000 funding request from MSE to purchase software to better track attendance at MSE events.
The $10,000 is included in Placer’s one-year contract.
Brumley said the data was collected from areas where MSE events are concentrated downtown: the streets immediately surrounding the courthouse and the section of Cleveland Avenue between Main Street and Elm Street.
She said the numbers counted during the Airstream were skewed, noting that several other events were held the same week as the Airstream, including El Dorado High School’s homecoming celebration, high school reunion and the Boomtown Classic. explained.
“But we still had 6,000 people come downtown Thursday through Sunday,” Brumley said.
For the first time, MSE has provided Airstreams with an area for “generator camping.”
Seven campers occupied a spot set up on Cleveland Avenue between Main Street and Elm Street, while dozens of other campers settled into their slots for electrical hookups.
Equipment change
MSE also plans to reorganize several other regular events for 2024.
The group has already announced that Summer on the Square’s “Back to School Bash With a Splash” will be shortened.
The bash was a youth-led event, with student entrepreneurs and entertainers taking part that day.
Brumley said 2,300 attendees were counted downtown during the bash held Aug. 26.
Daytime temperatures reached 108 degrees, forcing some of the bash’s activities, such as the petting zoo and horse-drawn carriage rides, to be canceled.
MSE also noted another trend in the event, which was scheduled from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Brumley said the crowd typically thins out between 2 and 4 p.m. for “Showdown at Sunset,” a historical reenactment of a deadly gunfight that took place in the streets of a downtown square in 1902. He says he’ll be back to perform.
“The people who come to Showdown are a different crowd,” Brumley previously said.
Next year, MSE plans to shorten the duration of the bash and end the event in the early afternoon, likely at 2 p.m.
MSE also plans to shorten the hours of its annual Scare on the Square.
Events typically run from noon to 4 p.m.
Brumley reported that 2,500 visitors visited downtown during “Scare on the Square 2023,” which was held on Oct. 28.
“We estimate there were three or four children for every adult (counted), so the number we’re really confident about is 7,500,” Brumley said.
ROSEBURG – Forest products manufacturer Eldorado Inc. volunteered to grill free hot dogs for the event, and Kelly said all 800 hot dogs had been distributed by 1:15 p.m.
“We started handing out at 12:10 p.m.,” she said with a laugh.
Brumley and Kelly said several downtown stores reported running out of Halloween trick-or-treating candy by 2 p.m.
The Scare featured games and other activities, including a costume contest for children and pets that doubled as a fundraiser for UCAPA and The Call – Union County.
MSE directors said the scare will end next year at 3 p.m.
explanation
MSE is also gearing up for the holiday season with a number of events, starting with the Downtown Holiday Lighting Ceremony on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
Following the ceremony, a Downtown Holiday Open House will be held on Nov. 19 from 1 to 4 p.m.
McDonald’s announced Tuesday that two food trucks will be set up at the Downtown Pajama Party pre-Black Friday sales event on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Last year, MSE directors said they heard from shoppers who said they “didn’t have a place to eat” downtown during sales events because downtown restaurants are typically closed on Thanksgiving.
Flossie’s and Willie T’s food trucks will be parked downtown at 6 p.m.
MSE board members also revealed details regarding two holiday events scheduled for December 9th.
Pancakes with Santa in Pajamas will be held from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and Santa in the Square will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Pancakes will be held at the new downtown restaurant Barefoot Bistro Bakery and Catering (101 E. Main) and is a ticketed event for $25 per participant.
Breakfast includes pancakes, bacon, your choice of milk or orange juice, and a “personal experience with Santa.”
Brumley and MacDonald said parents with children will not have to pay for tickets.
“Parents don’t have to buy a ticket unless they want to eat. If they bring three kids, they’ll buy three tickets,” Brumley said.
McDonald’s said participants will not be allowed indoors after 9 a.m.
Santa on the Square is free and open to the public.
This event includes free rides on the Holiday Train and horse-drawn carriage. Participants can also take photos with Santa for free.
Mr Brumley explained that the proceeds from the pancakes will help cover the cost of hosting the event and the cost of the train and carriage rides, which will be free to the public.
To register for Pancakes, visit pancakes-with-santa-61939.cheddarup.com.