By Julie Skipper

One of the things that I think is unique about Jackson is that it seems to be a place where, if you have an idea to do something, you can make it happen—whether it’s starting a new business, restoring an old building and giving it life as a new development, or starting an annual festival. It’s something that I’ve noticed with increasing frequency over the past few years, and I love it.

I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently because of one small idea for an event downtown that met with a response that blew those of us involved away. The idea was pretty simple and generic—simply to have something on a fairly regular basis that would encourage people to hang around downtown after work instead of getting in their cars and heading home to their own neighborhoods. So, a team was assembled to get it done…a team with members of the business community, bar owners, the chamber of commerce, young professionals. Sometimes it felt a bit like we were flying by the seat of our pants and didn’t really know what we were doing, but we pulled it together, and on a beautiful Thursday night in March folks gathered in a downtown parking lot to enjoy free blues, cheap beer, and crawfish at what came to be called Downtown at Dusk. In planning the event, we hoped that maybe 300 people or so would show up but really had no idea what to expect. Well, anyone who doubts the energy and excitement surrounding downtown should have been there—we estimate that 600 people attended! And these were not just the usual downtown suspects (since I am a usual suspect, I can say that). It was a diverse group of people who work downtown, live downtown, and some who came just for this event: businesspeople, young professionals, members of the creative class, the mayor, even.

It was a great night for downtown, and as the series continues through August, we want to keep alive the initial spirit of the event—that you can come out downtown and have a fun time. But it’s also about supporting local businesses. These business owners have invested in our city and we want to support them. So each month, Downtown at Dusk will be held at a different location. It will always be free to attend, but food and beverage will be provided by the vendors at each location, and I encourage you to support them. Having lived down here, I’ve gotten to know many of them and not only do they love what they do, but they love this place, and we need them. I also hope that you’ll stick around after the events end and eat at a downtown restaurant or enjoy more music at a club.

Because that’s the thing: this is just one single event, but it will (I hope) lead to more and more similar ideas.

Not one week after this event, I was at another meeting about additional series of events downtown. The question was posed: “Do you think people will come to something downtown after work?” Without hesitation, I was able to say, “Absolutely!” How wonderful to be able to say that and know it to be true from experience. How encouraging that people—young people, especially—are clamoring for things to do downtown, and that organizations and businesses are recognizing it. I’m eager to see Downtown at Dusk grow, but I’m even more eager to see additional events in downtown and to see more ideas come to life.