posted on February 03, 2010 10:47
By Dace Koenigsknecht
Economic Restructuring Specialist
Michigan Main Street Center
Michigan State Housing Development Authority
The event had been entered on the calendar as ‘tentative’ several months prior. The initial thought being the wife and I would make a day of it in Niles, as the winter weather was sure to have the kids complaining of frostbite by midday. However, reality was far more fun…
Sunshine & Surprises
The morning of January 16, 2010 dawned clear and sunny, though the family was slow to recognize the energy filtering through the window panes. That mid-winter longing for hibernation had a firm grasp on our bones, but the promise of a milder chill in the air spurred us out the door.
The usual two-hour trip from Lansing to Niles was extended, as kids have a knack for doing, by countless potty breaks. ‘It took forever to get here’, though they had no idea where ‘here’ was yet. What we were doing and where we were going was a surprise; partially to see the look on their faces, but more honestly to assist us with managing behavior – as any Main Streeter knows, guilt and manipulation works, right?!
Scarves & Sculptures
The weather was perfect, and so was the ice. We parked along a side-street, and even there evidence of the ice sculptors’ skill was obvious. The surprise was revealed, and the kids were all smiles – from what I could see behind the scarves. Their eyes were fixed on that first, relatively small sculpture of a Buddhist temple. They longed to touch it, of course, but were dissuaded by the shake of my head. This action would be performed innumerable times during the course of the day. I understood completely the overwhelming curiosity and awe of it all, dampened within me only be years of artistic appreciation – and head nods received.
We walked along one side of Main Street, lured along by the next great piece of art just ahead. The family groups ebbed and flowed along the sidewalk, often intermixing at the confluence of exceptional sculptures and narrow sidewalks. The Grinch… a hell-bound hog… a horse-drawn carriage… Amazing pieces of art carved into frozen water. They were inspiring!
Scoops & Soups
We approached the turn-around point and crossed the street. Awaiting us in the middle of the sidewalk was a large bar sculpted from massive blocks of ice. There were several young ladies, bundled to the ponytails, scooping ice cream from recessed buckets within the bar. Talk about an attention-getter. For a modest donation, each of us received a scoop of special ice cream – an ice cream produced exclusively for this festival. Here we were, sitting next on a snowy curb next to an ice sculpture while eating ice cream in the middle of winter – does it get any better than that?
In accordance with all things natural; yin & yang, hot & cold, we stopped into Paris Soda Shop for some light, warm fare. Like Pavlov’s dog, just the thought of her homemade soup and quiche as I write this has my mouth watering uncontrollably. The nostalgia of eating from a metal lunchbox is reason enough to stop in.
Sweets & Snowflakes
Just a couple of doors from the cafe is Veni’s Sweet Shop, just the place to be should you need ‘a fix’ – unless you’re not the decisive-type, you may be there a long time. These chocolatiers have the well-deserved reputation, especially amongst us Michigan Main Street staff, of making money disappear from wallets faster than David Copperfield. I’m convinced cars that stop in Niles stop at Veni’s.
A colossal bird-bath…festival snowflake…Fightin’ Irish mascot… Comments reserved, as the latter was eventually spruced up with the addition of a University of Michigan ‘M’.
Successes & Seahorses
Aside from aiding the local economy, being in Economic Restructuring, I asked the retailers in Your Kitchen Connection (a personal favorite) how business was. Finishing another sale to people from Chicago, I was told that business was outstanding. In fact, a bet was made with an absent business owner that, should they reach a pie-in-the-sky revenue figure, they could go home early. We were in their store around 6:30pm, and they were very close to reaching that (not so) outlandish goal. It was wonderful to experience the power of great retail taking advantage of a great promotional event. Ah, the power of Main Street…
Too cold, you say? That’s okay; as there was plenty of the tropics present to take your mind off of the temperature…jumping marlin… pelican… seahorse… palm tree… Just warms you thinking about it, right?! Well, something must have worked because the kids didn’t complain once about getting too cold…
As always, please add your thoughts or comments below.