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Are you ready?
Holiday events and activities are HERE! How can you take advantage?
The holiday season is HERE. Are you ready? Below is a listing of holiday events, committed participants (and the ability to commit to participation). You have a lot of activity options this holiday season! What will you do to improve customer traffic, sales and public recognition?
Red Ribbon Merchants- Bath Expressions, the Emporia Arts Council, Forget Me Not, Graves Drug, Plum Bazaar, Poehler Mercantile, Stanley Jewelry, Studio 11, Town Crier, Lyon County Title, L & L Pets, Furniture Loft and Complete Works have already signed up to participate in this holiday cooperative advertising program. Click HERE to find out more or to participate
Emporia Main Street Public Improvement Auction- October 27th- Do you ever wonder how some things like downtown banners, bike racks, local sculptures, lights in the Farmer's Market lot and many other Public Improvements are accomplished? Well, it's through funds generated through the Emporia Main Street Public Improvement Auction! Come bid on some exceptionally cool art work, athletic memoribilia, trips, advertising packages, experiances and much more THIS WEEK! It's an 80's Theme, so dressing goofy is highly encouraged! Doors open at 5:30 p.m. in the Granada Theatre with a silent auction and the live auction starts at 7:00 p.m. Cash bar and hors d'oeurves are provided. Come bid on some great items and support your community at the same time! Click HERE for the Auction Items Catalogue (check back for updates...)
Haunted Tours- October 28th- Meet at the Granada Theatre Marquee at 9:00 p.m. on Friday (after the movie Beetlejuice) for a haunted walking tour of Emporia. Tickets are a suggested donation of $5 and you must be 16 or older. Learn the history of some of our more interesting core buildings while finding out about haunted stories from the area! Click HERE for more information!
Downtown Trick or Treat- October 29th- Saturday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., the following  locations are encouraging Trick or Treater's to visit their businesses: AKA Marketing, Amanda's Bakery, Caribbean Sun Tanning Salon, Complete Works, Dynamic Discs, Emporia Arts Council, Emporia Chamber of Commerce, Flint Hills Music, Genesis Health Club, Granada Coffee Company, High Gear Cyclery, Java Cat, L&L Pets, Plum Bazaar, The Help Desk, The Verona Grill and Pizzeria, Town Crier Bookstore, Furniture Loft, The Sweet Granada, Textbook Corner, Little Caesers Pizza, Stanley Jewelry and The Place to Be (inside the Kress Center). Take your little ones, dress up and grab some goodies from your local favorite stores! Just look for the blue flags. Click HERE for more information!
Freedom Fest- Saturday, November 5th: Freedom Fest consists of either a 5K Run/Walk or a Gravel Road bike ride of either 15 or 35 miles. These activities help raise funds for our local All Veteran's Memorial through entry fees and sponsorships. If you are interested in participating, or you just would like to donate to help support the local Memorial, click HERE for more information. Remember, the people involved are athletes, fitness fans and supporters of Veteran's... Do any of those groups sound like people your business wants to communicate with?
Veteran's Day Activities- Emporia is home to Veteran's Day, and a variety of entities, including the Emporia Convention and Visitors Bureau, have several activities held in conjunction with Veteran's Day. Veteran's Day activities in Emporia begin on November 3rd and end on November 16th. Click HERE for a complete list of activities.
Targeted Market Research FREE Webinar- Wednesday, November 17th from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (you simply have to sign up by  November 10th). Understanding your market is the best way to profit from it! Without targeted marketing decisions, your business, community or organization may make bad (and costly) decisions. Click HERE to find out more about this free webinar for Main Street Members hosted by a national expert in targeted marketing research!
Take-out Wednesday- November 23rd: Everyone cooks enough for Thanksgiving to meet their cooking quota for about a month, and after Thanksgiving people generally have leftovers... Before Thanksgiving? Now, that is a different story! One of the biggest days of the year for take-out is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. What is your restaurant doing to prepare? Click HERE to participate!
Black Friday- November 25th: Do you have specials or activities planned for the Day After Thanksgiving? Let us know! We want to make sure the public knows to shop local after Thanksgiving! Click HERE to participate!
Small Business Saturday- November 26th: This "holiday" was developed to ensure that families shopping realized the importance of supporting local small businesses. Jason Koch of Second Love gifts contacted the Emporia Main Street office to ensure that we shared two pieces of critical "Small Business Saturday" information: First, on "Small Business Saturday", individuals spending $25 with their American Express Card at a small business can receive a $25 Statement Credit. Second, recent caps in fees associated with debit card processing make it important for retailers to run cards as a debit whenever possible. For more information on the national "Small Business Saturday", check out the Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday . Click HERE to participate!
Cyber Monday- November 28th- Do you have an on-line sales site? Did you know that Cyber Monday (the Monday following Thanksgiving) is one of the biggest on-line shopping days of the year? Do you have specials planned for Cyber Monday this year that you would like to share? Click HERE to participate!
Emporia Chamber of Commerce Christmas Parade- November 29th: Click HERE for more parade information. In conjunction with the parade, Emporia Main Street traditionally conducts a "Window  Judging Contest". The top three windows receive both prizes and recognition that you can blatantly hold over those that do not hold a candle to your window design abilities... This year's theme "The Spirit of Kansas Christmas" should provide designers with some interesting options for window displays. So far, Bath Expressions, Town Crier and Plum Bazaar have decided to participate in window judging. Are you game? Click HERE to participate in the Window Decorating Contest! Click HERE for some proper window design techniques from a former newsletter.
Downtown Horse Drawn Carriage Rides: December 1, 8, 15 and 22.- A downtown tradition, the horse drawn carriage rides are a $5 suggested donation and time slots can be reserved the night of the event. Blankets are provided (if needed). Can your business benefit from holiday gatherers looking to ride a carriage? Food sales, carolers and event sponsors are all welcome!
Breakfast with Santa- December 3rd: Breakfast with Santa is a coordinated effort between the Emporia Public Library, the Emporia Arts Council, the Emporia Recreation Commission and Emporia Main Street. From 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 3rd, parents and kids can stop by for stories, arts & crafts, face painting, breakfast (donuts, fruit, juice and milk), elf stretching and a chance to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus!
Quarter Mania- December 6th: What's better than shopping for cool items from local businesses? The chance to buy something for just a QUARTER! That's right, just 25 cents... Intrigued? This event is kind of a combination between bingo and an auction and makes a perfect girls night out! The Emporia Quarter Mania is so unique and fun that it made a national publication (Downtown Promotion Reporter). Stop by the Granada Theatre on December 6th and find out yourself why Quarter Mania is one of the most popular business events in town! Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the event starts at 6:30 p.m. Interested in becoming a vendor, or need more information? Contact Emporia Main Street! Click HERE to participate!
Midnight Madness- December 8th- Midnight Madness just won an award from the Kansas  Department of Commerce for an Outstanding Promotional Activity... This fun event lets you shop late from 8:00 p.m. to Midnight on Thursday, December 8th. You tell us what specials you want to run (or that you simply want to participate) and we'll put you on "the map". Businesses have reported triple digit percentage sales increases, customers love the ability to have a girls or guys shopping night, including stops at local restaurants and watering holes, and Midnight Madness is a fun way to shop the night away! Interested in having your business or organization participate? Contact Emporia Main Street! Click HERE to participate!
Kris Kringle's Kids Shoppe- December 15-17- For Red Ribbon Merchants, the Kris Kringle's Kids Shoppe allows you to market items $10 and under (rounded to whole dollars) in a shop just for kids! Main Street wraps and you keep 90% of the proceeds! This holiday favorite is a fun way for kids to shop for friends, siblings and even mom and dad! Click HERE to participate!
Granada Bridal and Prom Expo, sponsored by Emporia's Radio Stations- Saturday, January 7th- The bookend to our "Holiday" events, the Granada Bridal and Prom Expo gives local businesses the opportunity to market to area brides, grooms and prom patrons. Watch the fashion shows, get to know local vendors and register to win awesome prizes, all while promoting local businesses! Vendor spaces are just about full, so if you are interested in participating, contact Emporia Main Street or the Granada Theatre TODAY!
In additon, check out what local entities like The Granada Theatre, The Emporia Arts Council, Plumb Place, the David Traylor Zoo and MORE are doing for the Holidays!
The most dangerous statement any business can make during the 4th quarter is "It's the holidays, people will just find us..." While it is true that more people will be out-and-about shopping, it is also true that people have more business choices than ever. What are you doing to stand out? How are you advertising your business with local media? How are you getting involved in existing activities? What is your marketing plan? How can you set yourself apart this season?
I know you are all busy, but a little planning now can produce big impacts for your business later. Look through the list and get involved in YOUR holiday activities! | 
