By Fallan Patterson
Staff Writer

St. Cloud Main Street is revamping its program, cutting events and adding others, in an effort to spruce up the downtown area and draw in the public.

The Friday Night Live! Series and the weekly Farmer's Market have been cut this year due to a lack of volunteers and time.

The Farmer's Market, scheduled every Saturday, would have reopened from summer break Sept. 11, but with low vendor and customer turnout, Main Street closed the event.

The market opened in November 2007 and was well attended until Main Street closed the event for the summer of 2008 because the heat was melting candles and rotting produce, Main Street program manager Olivia Rowland said.

“It lost the momentum,” Rowland said. “We've really loved to provide the service.”

Chet and Cindy Davis, owners of 10th Street Produce in St. Cloud, were one of the largest vendors at the market. In their first year, they sold $2,000 a week in fruits and vegetables every Saturday and attracted regular shoppers, Cindy Davis said.

However, after the summer market closings that began in 2008, the crowd was never the same and in the last year, the business began to lose money on the event, Chet Davis said.

To make up the monetary difference, due to the low interest in the market and the slowing of the economy, the Davises took up a contract with Disney, which would require them to miss the weekly market.

“It would be nice if they had drummed up more interest,” Chet Davis said.

The other canceled event, Friday Night Live!, which began in 2001, featured five different events – a car show, the crawfish festival, a cornhole competition, the beach party and a barbecue.

The Cruise into Fall car and motorcycle show will be the last of the series, scheduled for Friday.

Rather than plan five separate events, Rowland will help create one large event incorporating most of the prior activities for next fall. The new event will be decided by December, she said.

The annual Smokin’ Blues, Bikes and BBQ, held in May and usually part of the series, will continue as its own event.

“To build the best, strongest event for the community to enjoy, you need at least six months of planning,” Rowland said. “I'm a staff of one with 19 board members.”

Although Rowland acknowledges the series was one of the best publicly attended events Main Street hosted, the lack of community volunteers, input and donated product and funds were deciding factors in canceling the program.

“Our manpower is down. The people who believe in this community are the ones out there but it’s the same people,” Rowland said. “If you like the events or say, 'They should have done that differently,' we want you.”

Despite cutting two events, efforts to strengthen continuing programs and create new ones is under way.

Main Street’s Historic Walking Tour and City Guide was completed in June where visitors can explore downtown, locate murals of significant events and buildings painted on business walls and patronize local shops.

“A lot of people think it’s old antiques but we now have cute boutiques and specialty stores,” Rowland said. “The face of downtown has changed.”

The murals were completed in November 2009 but markers are being installed now to accompany the walking tour and describe the paintings.

The organization also plans to re-establish its Junior Main Street program, which began in 2004 but ended by 2006, Rowland said. The program – intended to help enhance downtown and give youth an opportunity to gain real-life organizing experience – would be run by high school volunteers on a mini-board of directors who would earn community service hours toward graduation.

Additionally, Main Street is implementing a downtown beautification project where planters will be installed, green spaces will be enhanced and light poles will be restored.

“Little, simple fixes that will enhance the downtown,” Rowland said. “If you lose the heart of the downtown, the city begins to fizzle.”