Thank you to everyone that came out to a PACKED trick or treat event, a wonderful HOTT Dia de los Muertos parade, and a fun HOTT Day of the Dead celebration! It was a beautiful day- full of awesome downtown activities!

Hello Casey, The Veterans Banners are all placed downtown; Freedom Fest is just around the corner; and the Start Your Own Business Class is in full swing! Keep reading for more information in this week's newsletter!

Time to vote for your favorite Costumes from the Emporia Main Street Downtown Trick or Treat this past Saturday! To vote, simply "like" the picture! You can vote for all your favorites! We will tally votes this Friday at 1pm and announce the winners!

1st Place - $25 Emporia Main Street gift certificate

2st Place - $20 Emporia Main Street gift certificate

1st Place - $15 Emporia Main Street gift certificate

Click HERE for the Baby Category!

Click HERE for the Kids Category!

Click HERE for the Family Category!

Where is my Veterans Banner?

All of the Veterans banners are up! A huge shout out to The Facilities Crew at Emporia State and all of the City Employees that helped with placements! A big Thanks to Scott and Marne Oliver for mapping!

Click HERE for listings!

Registration NOW OPEN! Click HERE to register!

Shout out to these volunteers from Hostess/JM Smucker for doing a downtown clean up this past Sunday (10/27/24)! Little Ghosts and Goblins always leave a bit of a candy trail after trick or treat, and we really appreciate this group for helping us keep downtown looking nice and clean! Picture (left to right) Allison Irwin, Matt Dickason, Angie Heins, Dustin Malone, John Maxwell, Dave Aeschliman, Jeff McClure. Not picture Jimmy Crook and Gina Wichael.

ESU will host the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) 6A, 5A, and 4A State Football Championships on November 29th and 30th, 2024.

Friday, November 29th - 6A at 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, November 30th - 4A at 1:00 p.m. and 5A at 7:00 p.m.

Poe Me a Cup: Edgar Allan Poe Tea Party; October 30, 6:30 p.m. Don your spooky finest for a gathering filled with gothic elegance, macabre charm, and eerie treats at the Emporia Public Library!

This year the Freedom Fest Committee and Emporia Main Street will be collecting items to send to our troops that are deployed over the winter months. For more info and how to make a donation, click HERE!

Saturday, Nov. 9th

Veterans Celebration and Flag Ceremony

10:00 am. Plumb Hall Lawn on the ESU Campus

Enjoy coffee and pastries while enjoying the annual flag ceremony honoring our Veterans. All are welcome. No registration required.

Salute to Service

Open to all Volunteers, Veterans and families

Join us as we recognize our Hornet Veterans who have honorably served in the United States military and our volunteers who have given countless hours of service to the university. The University Service Citation Award recipients will also be recognized.

11:00 am – 1:00 pm

Make your way to the Alumni Tent for tailgating and lunch compliments of the ESU Alumni Association.

Parking lot South of Kossover Tennis Complex on the ESU campus. Event is free but registration is required.

Register at  https://hornetnation.emporia.edu/e/service2024 and receive a free ticket to the ESU vs. Central Missouri football game at 1:00pm.

The Emporia High FBLA chapter is selling poinsettias again this year for the holiday season.  The plants will come in 6" pots and will be approximately 12" high and 14" across with five to seven blooms.  The pot will be decorated with foil and will come with a sleeve to protect the plant from the weather.  Delivery will be approximately Wednesday, December 4.  Payment is due upon delivery.  The plants are $10 each.

 If interested in purchasing, please complete this form by Wednesday, October 30.

Are you ready to be part of something truly transformative? Join the Emporia Main Street organization for the 2024-2025 membership year and become a driving force behind the revitalization and growth of our vibrant community! With an impressive track record of events, initiatives, and collaborations, Emporia Main Street is the heartbeat of our city- fostering economic development, community pride, and unparalleled support for local businesses. Click HERE for Investor information and to sign up!

Upcoming Activity Listing

2024

October-November- Veterans Banners

Nov. 7-8- Kansas Main Street training in Garden City

Nov. 9- Freedom Fest

Nov. 14, 15, 16 - Emporia International Food Passports

Nov. 20th - Quartermania

Nov. 30- Small Business Saturday

Dec. 5, 12, 19- Horse drawn carriage rides

Dec. 19th - Late Night Shopping

1. "What is your social media reach?" From another area organization. Emporia Main Street reaches the public with a combination of traditional media outreach, social media engagement, and direct consumer outreach. We believe all three areas are important to engage the general public. From a social media standpoint, Emporia Main Street has 17,131 "followers" on Facebook, 2,911 on Instagram, and over 3,000 followers on other social media channels. We also have thousands of unique users on our website each month. However, traditional media still has a more significant viewership across their respective platforms (by a lot). So, even though we have significant social media engagement, it is still critical to spend with local newspapers, radio, and regional television as part of our outreach strategy. Paid outreach through social media, and digital media placements are also important.

2. "Why are the downtown events important for businesses?" From an ongoing conversation. Events put people in certain places. When those places are in close proximity to businesses, we create a customer behavior pattern that businesses can use to create more traffic and sales. When the areas aren't in immediate proximity to businesses, we generate patterns that businesses have a much harder time taking advantage of. It is important to Main Street that our activities work to generate positive outcomes for our local businesses whenever possible, and although not all events will generate immediate benefit for every business type, the engagement patterns can create community wide benefits when conducted properly.

3. "How can we support soldier care packages this year?" From a local business. Emporia Main Street generally starts soldier care package drives with the launch of Freedom Fest. We will have information available on our website next week to guide businesses and individuals as they seek to support local area men and women deployed overseas.

4. "How many people were downtown Saturday (for trick or treat and day of the dead activities)?" From a few messages on Sunday. According to Placer, we had 7,700 visitors downtown between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with a high of 3,500 visitors between 11:00 a.m. and noon.

5. "Does Emporia Main Street make money from loans they provide to local businesses?" From a governmental question. No. Loans through Emporia Main Street to support local businesses are "restricted", meaning they can only be used to loan out to area businesses. The loans are "revolving", meaning that the loans that are paid back are then loaned to other local businesses. Emporia Main Street loans do not contain closing costs or other fees. Loans that flow through Emporia Main Street (via the Lyon County E-Community to Network Kansas) do have interest components, but those interest payments go to Network Kansas; they are not retained at Emporia Main Street. When you calculate the time necessary to maintain and report loans, Emporia Main Street actually loses money on loan programs, but we know that loans through Emporia Main Street are critical to local businesses seeking to startup or expand. For our banking partners, we know that loans provided through Emporia Main Street (that take a position behind the bank) decrease risk profiles and fully capitalize businesses (thus helping banks engage entrepreneurs with funding). Although the types of loans provided have evolved, Emporia Main Street loan methodology has remained virtually the same for over thirty years.

Get registered NOW for the 2025 Great American Market! Click HERE!