Christmas events in Port nixed by pandemic

The coronavirus has claimed another victim — Port Washington Main Street Inc.’s fall and winter activities, including Ladies Night Out, which was to be held Sept. 16, Harvest at the Market, Kite Festival and Christmas on the Corner, which includes the city’s holiday parade, tree lighting and fireworks.

The only activity remaining is the farmers market, which the organization has revamped in an attempt to keep people safe.

“I know everyone’s disappointed about the events. I am definitely disappointed. This was not a decision made lightly,” Main Street Executive Director Melissa Alexander said, noting the Main Street board of directors had discussed the issue since March before making the decision last month. 

“We tried to come up with ways to do these events safely. But with all the uncertainty with Covid-19 and the number of new cases, we don’t want to be one more cause,” she said.

“I would much rather be disappointed than make someone sick.”

It’s a decision supported by city officials who have wrestled with the decision to allow events such as the farmers market and beer gardens as the coronavirus has spread.

“It’s a sad thing that we have to do it,” Ald. Deb Postl said. “They’re making a hard choice, and I think they’re doing the right thing. If we all start making the tough choices, we’ll be better for it.

“We’ve got to get past this.”

Ald. Jonathan Pleitner said it is a critical move for Main Street, noting, “As we go through this pandemic, we’re finding we really haven’t made any progress. The situation in many ways is the same as it was five months ago. I think we need to hunker down and hopefully we’ll come out the other side.

“I’m sad about this. It’s the right decision.”

Ald. Pat Tearney added, “It sounds like they went through a lot and tried to do their best. I can certainly understand where they’re coming from.”

“While I find it disappointing, I have tried to wrack my brain, thinking how we could do it safety and beneficially,” Ald. Dan Benning said. 

In theory, Benning said, organizers could extend the length of the Christmas parade so people could social distance. The question, however, is whether they would do that.

“I hate to see it. I wouldn’t want to be a kid who’s 4 or 5 this year. It really stinks.”

It’s not just children who will be disappointed, Ald. Paul Neumyer said.

“I’m sure it’s a big disappointment for merchants downtown,” he said, noting the Main Street events draw crowds to the stores. “It’s a big thing for merchants. In light of the Covid situation, I don’t know that they could have made any other decision.”

Tom Sharbuno of Sharbuno Jewelers said he understands why the Main Street board made the decision.

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea with the nervousness out there about the coronavirus,” he said. “To keep the risk of transmitting the virus to a minimum, it makes sense.”

The event that may be most missed is Christmas on the Corner, the kickoff for holiday shopping in downtown.

“Christmas on the Corner was a great thing,” Sharbuno said. “We’re definitely going to miss it. Hopefully we’ll get through this sooner rather than later.”

Not every downtown business is happy with the decision to cancel the events, Alexander acknowledged.

“But they also feel safety is the most important thing,” she said. “I think everyone, as long as the business eventually comes back or we can come up with another way to support them, understands. But I know everyone’s disappointed about the events.”

Main Street is working to find safe alternatives to its in-person activities, especially the holiday events, and to support local businesses as the pandemic continues, Alexander said.

“We’re trying to find ways, especially with Christmas, to make everyone as happy as possible and support our businesses,” she said.

For example, she said, Main Street is looking at a Christmas lights parade “almost like a Candy Cane Lane” that could be up from early December through Christmas.

Civic groups and organizations that usually participate in the Christmas parade would be asked to create a light display that people can drive or walk past, keeping a social distance, Alexander said.

“It’s in the exploratory stages, but we’re hoping to find a date and place for it,” she said.

Elf on the Shelf, a popular Christmas on the Corner activity where children are asked to find Santa’s elf in various downtown shops, will likely be offered both as an in-person and online event, Alexander said. 

Main Street is also looking to create Winter Wonderland Wednesdays, where downtown businesses would stay open later than usual so people could shop after work. This, Alexander said, could help spread out the crowds while drawing people to the shopping district.

“A lot of large businesses  aren’t doing Black Friday this year,” she noted, adding this could take the place of some of that shopping and help lead into Small Business Saturday on Nov. 28 and continue through New Years.

“We’re hoping with Small Business Saturday and Winter Wonderland Wednesdays that we’re able to generate new business for our businesses,” Alexander said.

And, she said, continue to offer programs that the community will enjoy.

An online marketplace that could include all downtown businesses is also in the works, Alexander said.

The marketplace would showcase businesses, the products they sell and offer a place where people could shop locally online, she said. People could go to their favorite shop or search all downtown businesses for items they are looking for, everything from hard goods to gift cards and services.

“On a very, very, very small scale, it’s like Amazon where different stores can sell their products as well as direct people to their own websites,” Alexander said.

It’s an ambitious project, she said, and would be the first of its kind in the area.

“We’ve been doing a lot of research. I think if we really push, we can make it happen,” Alexander said. “It’s a great way to support local businesses and provide people with a place to shop.”

Main Street is also working on a video series featuring downtown stores and businesses. The series, which would be posted on the visitportwashington.com website, includes visits to downtown shops and offices where owners can showcase the services and products they offer.

“We want to make everyone aware of the great businesses we have,” Alexander said. “We’ve tried to come up with ways to do this safely. After all, the health and safety of our community is always our goal.”