It’s finally summer in Bend, and right on schedule downtown merchant and blogger extraordinaire Duncan McGeary has posted his first rant of the season against downtown street closings.
Well, it isn’t a rant, actually – more like a mild sigh of protest. “So for 3/4ths of the next six weeks or so – the very meat of summer – we will have closed streets on the weekend,” McGeary posted Friday. “It appears there is a new event tacked on, as well as the bike race today, which was a new event last year. (I could swear they said they weren’t going to add new events.)
“Oh, well. The majority of the downtown retailers seem to like these events, or at least acquiesce to them. So be it.”
Maybe it’s an age thing, but increasingly I find myself agreeing with McGeary on the street closing issue. I mean, I enjoy special outdoor events as much as the next guy, but haven’t we reached the point of overkill?
Friday afternoon I had the urge for a cortado, so I drove downtown to get one at Lone Pine Coffee Roasters off Minnesota. I’d forgotten about the bicycle race, so I was surprised – and annoyed – to see all the yellow police tape blocking off the downtown core.
I almost said “Fuhgeddaboutit!” and headed back home, but my cortado craving overcame my irritation; I finally found a spot in the parking garage, walked over to Lone Pine and had my beverage.
It apparently is generally assumed that special events boost downtown business, but nobody seems to have any hard data to prove it. No doubt the events draw a certain number of people downtown, and some percentage of them might walk into McGeary’s store (or somebody else’s), and some percentage of those might buy something. But how many other people get discouraged and go home – or don’t bother to come downtown in the first place because they don’t want to contend with the crowds and the parking hassle?
And it’s not as if each of these events is a unique, not-to-be-missed, once-in-a-lifetime experience. All of Bend’s innumerable “fests” are pretty much the same: some music, some beer booths, some wine booths, some food booths, and some booths selling miscellaneous tchotchkes and “art.”
This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2010.
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Maybe you should try riding into downtown by bicycle. You can “park” much closer to your destination! 🙂
I had the miss fortune of poor timing recently. I lived in Bend for just a short time and missed all the downtown activity and “fests” that I heard so much about. My best friend tried to get me to stay until after summer so I could “experience” the music, festivals, and gatherings that Bend is becoming so famous for. I chose to leave early and worse yet, I moved to the San Fernando Valley of Southern California. What was I thinking?
I would give anything to encounter street closings because folks wanted to amble slowly and visit the small shops, attractions and with friends. By closing those thorough fares, one need not worry about being run over by cars and trucks not watching the road. At least the good folks of Bend can enjoy their leisure time. I am honestly afraid to be out after dark here.
The way I see it, people live in Bend for the joy of the seasons, the beautiful mountains, the love of family and friends, and its' many recreational opportunities. If you want, what you want, when you want it … come live in Southern California. It's all available here … any time. But I'm telling you now, the trade off is not worth it!
Written By John Whitt
What are we – Calvinists? Well, Duncan may be, given his surname. Disapproving, cheerless Yankee merchants objected to anything that did not promote profit-making. Prosperity indicated their god’s approval. Festivities deemed too festive were frowned upon. carnivals were low class, gaudy, too Catholic — if not downright pagan.
On Friday, the knights on their bicycles came to town to joust and our town welcomed them. They will remember Bend, and some will return. This weekend the town is celebrating summer the way humans have since the beginning: with festivities. After a cold spring people want to party, and the real source of Duncan’s complaint is the fact that the party crowd and your comic book demographic don’t overlap much. Not the most festive of folk.
“It apparently is generally assumed that special events boost downtown business…”. To which Jack says, Fuck that. It’s not always about the almighty dollah, it’s about encouraging a cheerful mix of business and fun which keeps Bend from becoming a cow town, like Vacaville, Calif.; and makes it a place where a fellow can actually find a cortado. Try that in a town that’s just about sales, sales, sales.
You and Duncan have made good points about the impact of these events on downtown businesses and shoppers. They do make it harder to access stores, they do benefit some businesses to the detriment of others, and, yeah, it would be nice to see some numbers on the overall impact.
But how much value do you give the intangible benefits of having downtown draw people in because of the cultural role it plays here? For surely these events play a vital role in that regard. To say role is unimportant is, I think, to underestimate the importance of downtown being a place people want to go even when they don’t have an explicit need to shop. A place where they’ll bring family and meet friends (and, oh-by-the-way, spend some money.)
I think it’d behoove downtown business owners to take a field trip to a town where the downtown district has fallen from grace and talk to the chamber of commerce and local business associations about what they’re struggling with. Napa, CA might be a good place to start. I’m not sure what the downtown district is like these days, but I know they’ve struggled in the past with high vacancy rates and an almost ghosttown-like feel to the place.
Business owners here need to do a reality check and realize how good they have it. In fact, I’ll argue that the businesses doing the complaining might be better off spending their energy thinking about how to better take advantage of the opportunity these events provide. There’s not many businesses that get to complain about having too much going on outside their front door.
“I would give anything to encounter street closings because folks wanted to amble slowly and visit the small shops, attractions and with friends. By closing those thorough fares, one need not worry about being run over by cars and trucks not watching the road.”
In virtually every town that’s tried closing the downtown streets to vehicle traffic to create a “pedestrian mall” the experiment has been a disaster. Our neighboring city of Eugene is one notorious example. They almost killed their downtown before they gave up the idea and let cars back in.
Jack: I don’t think Dunc is complaining because he’s a Calvinist or a prude; he just thinks there are too many downtown street closures, especially during the summer, and I’m inclined to agree.
“This weekend the town is celebrating summer the way humans have since the beginning: with festivities.”
Maybe we should really revive the ancient tradition of sacrificing a couple of virgins to the Corn God. Now THAT would make Bend’s Summerfest really different.
“it’s about encouraging a cheerful mix of business and fun which keeps Bend from becoming a cow town, like Vacaville, Calif.; and makes it a place where a fellow can actually find a cortado. Try that in a town that’s just about sales, sales, sales.”
Oh, I bet I could easily find a cortado in NY or LA.
Woody: I live too far from downtown to conveniently bike there and back.
Too far? This town is small enough to ride a bike anywhere within.
“Too far? This town is small enough to ride a bike anywhere within.”
It’d be eight miles each way. That’s too far for me to pedal for a coffee. If you think it’s not, well, bully for you.
I am a big fan of The Source and truly respect the unmainstream viewpoints that are published between it’s glorious pages but this?!… Having lived in Bend for a long time I absolutely love all the fest and closures and food and festivities that our downtown area offers weekly! Sometimes daily! Bruce! Dont you realize that a HUGE portion of Bends downtown revenue comes from tourism?! Tourist are here everyday to enjoy all that nature has to offer them but it is the festivals that draw them downtown! I’m not a tourist and they draw me! I even spend money there! So what if you have to park a little ways away to get a cortado! As a local I’m sure you know of at least one place in town that serves one that ISN’T downtown! Get over yourself and your selfish ways! You were inconvenienced… BFD.
p.s. I am sorry for the excessive exclaimationing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Long live the automobile!!!!!
“Having lived in Bend for a long time I absolutely love all the fest and closures and food and festivities that our downtown area offers weekly!”
Having lived in Bend for more than 25 years, I’m pretty bored with them. They’re all the same. The only ones I really enjoy anymore are the Christmas parade and (especially) the Fourth of July Pet Parade, which is unlike ANYTHING I’ve seen anywhere else.
As for my “selfish ways,” I told that story merely to illustrate how somebody coming downtown to buy something might get discouraged by the street closures and decide to pass it up.
And no, I DON’T know anyplace outside the downtown area that serves cortados.
But look, Ted, nobody’s trying to take away your lollipop. Nobody’s saying we should do away with ALL the downtown festivals / fiestas / fests / festivuses. All I’m suggesting, and all I think McGeary’s suggesting, is that we should (a) try to balance the legitimate business needs of the merchants with the desire (some might even call it a “selfish” desire) of the locals to be continually entertained with festivals and (b) try to get some hard information on whether these not-so-special special events really do as much for downtown as everybody assumes.