Opportunity awaits with MH entertainment district

It’s good seeing Mountain Home promoting itself more, especially the four-year-old downtown entertainment district. There is great potential there for residents and tourists alike.

Its creation allowed customers of downtown establishments to take carryout servings of alcoholic beverages with them as they stroll about the district. It can offer more than walking cocktails as entertainment.

What first comes to mind with entertainment is music. Friday Night Block Party provided a variety of music acts during summer Friday nights - hence the name - for a few years. Depending on who was performing, people brought out their lawn chairs and blankets to fill the east side of the square for an evening of music and fun. The city allowed vendors to join in and all had a good time.

But, like a lot of events around here, Friday Night Block Party fell by the wayside. I understand having a weekly concert can be difficult to present. Trying to find and schedule different entertainers is challenging, particularly when there are acts that want more than exposure as compensation for performing. Maintaining quality entertainment weekly can be tricky, too, as can getting volunteers to help.

Renovation of Hickory Park and construction of the concert stage, band shell - whatever you want to call it - boded well for live entertainment downtown. Considering the time, effort, and money that went into creating that venue, using it for over three shows during the summer (there was one in May) would be nice.

To my way of thinking, there needs to be something available every week during tourist season. There should be at least two concerts in the park a month during the summer, if it’s possible. In all honesty, after biking, hiking, fishing, swimming, boating, and golfing (not all in one day, of course), visitors to our area are looking for something else to do in the evening. If you’re spending your vacation here, there are only so many times you can wander around the box stores, grocery stores, or clothing stores that are open at that time of day.

A couple of concerts a month would provide entertainment at least every other weekend. They could be worked around events like this weekend’s Red, White, and Blue and other festivals. That’s one way to give tourists and locals something to do throughout the summer.

Entertainment doesn’t have to be just music. The entertainment district overlaps with the Mountain Home Commercial Historic District. We may not be like Old Washington, or Natchez, or other historic towns, but maybe there could be guided walking tours of our historic district. Have them in the evenings and they wouldn’t interfere with daily business downtown. Perhaps offer horse-drawn carriage tours. Those can be romantic as well as fun for the youngsters.

Show visitors the buildings, describe the types of architecture, and tell about the history of the businesses that have occupied them. Point out where businesses or houses once were and have photos available to show how they looked. Maybe put up markers with old photos to show what was located on those spots. There are plenty of stories about events that occurred in and around the downtown area that guides could tell tourists. Have guided tours one or two evenings a week. If feasible, the Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society could open its downtown museum those evenings as a stop on the tour. Or even be the place to get tickets for a tour.

New businesses are a plus for the entertainment district and the immediate area around it. The past few years have seen a gastropub and brewery, a burrito restaurant, a wine room, a coffee shop, an ice cream parlor, a mercantile, an art studio, and an independent bookstore open there. They’ve definitely been a boost for downtown. We could use more, different types of businesses in the district. Shops and businesses offer a form of entertainment.

Businesses I think could fit in the entertainment/historic districts include a souvenir shop, an old-time photo studio, perhaps a tea shop that hosts an afternoon high tea, a leather shop, a pottery store, maybe a cigar lounge. They’re touristy in nature, but any of these businesses could be good for local clientele as well.

I think one of the vital considerations for businesses or any activity in the entertainment district is the hours. I believe for a successful entertainment district and a fully revived downtown we can’t just lock the doors at 5. We’re missing opportunities by not being available for tourists during the evenings. Think about your own vacations when you take the kids out for ice cream in the evening, when you go looking for T-shirts and souvenirs, when you just want to get out of the motel room and do something. It’s the same for visitors to Mountain Home, and right now there’s not a whole lot for them to do.

It seems with its entertainment district Mountain Home is on the verge of bringing downtown completely back to life if we offer more for people to do. Activities, festivals, block parties, concerts, appropriate types of businesses, these will make the difference. We can have a vital, thriving downtown area that’s inviting during the day and the evening. Or we can keep doing things the way they’ve always been done and roll up the sidewalks at 5. It will be an important decision.