“You must be busy with Cheese Days coming up.” I often hear that — said somewhere between being an announcement and with an inflection at the end. And while it’s in my nature to not automatically say that I am busy, if only because almost everyone always is, my answer, especially this year, has been yes. Probably just not in the way that people are expecting.
Personally, I hope to return some favors and volunteer for random event tasks. I plan to be on tear down and clean up duty Sunday and will be helping with set up. One of the most random and sort of hilariously unique things I’ve done came in 2018 when I helped walk the Kermit the Frog inflatable in the Cheese Days parade. Power lines kept it interesting, as in a full body workout, but it ended up being a bucket list item I didn’t know I wanted. Beyond the personal, though, a lot of Main Street’s work has come behind the scenes that happens on two fronts.
One is to make sure that everyone has the most accurate information and answers to all questions. Topics we’ve helped with have been street closures, alley closures and delivery times, seal coating schedules, parking solutions for employees, minimums on credit card transactions, limiting menu choices, visibility, rooftop access and security, and so much more. Much of this starts with the Cheese Days committee itself and their volunteers. Their herculean efforts are impossible to overstate. And it also has to do with the city of Monroe — Public Works and the Streets Department and the Police Department. I want to thank all of them for their efforts including making sure that information is shared with businesses and property owners and Main Street Monroe so we can be a community partner and help things run as smoothly as possible.
The other front is to have businesses truly capitalize on Cheese Days. First, we held one on one meetings to find out what specific needs and questions should be addressed. Several new businesses have opened this summer. One just received its final license to serve, and another will be having a soft opening Monday. Like always, we assist on applications, marketing plans, and grant writing. A special group meeting in July covered a variety of best practices.
We discussed and problem solved how to best keep doorways clear, store capacities, limiting people walking in strictly to use toilets, take advantage of air conditioning, and finding a “quiet” place to use their cell phones. We also discussed hours to be open; especially the first part of this upcoming week. The lengths shop owners go to make sure that everyone has a positive experience in their business crosses everything from the creative to the pragmatic. A lot of the practices we share, especially to new business owners, comes from the owners who have been through dozens of Cheese Days and want to see their neighbors do as well as they want themselves to do.
Aside from the FBI & The Untouchable Horns which is this Thursday night, Main Street Monroe does not sponsor anything during Cheese Days Festival. This final Concert on the Square is presented in partnership with Cheese Days. The event is not listed on Cheese Days’ website. An intentional decision. We are grateful for the visitors who come to Cheese Days from across the country and the world, but we hope to make this concert as much of a community night for Monroe as much as possible. So no matter how you’re celebrating Cheese Days, please know how excited and grateful everyone is for all the work that is being done by Cheese Days, its volunteers and city staff, and how we want to and are working to rise to the occasion.
— Jordan Nordby is the executive director for Main Street Monroe. He can be reached at MonroeMainStreet@tds.net. Complete details on Main Street Monroe and its efforts can be found at mainstreetmonroe.org.
