And it’s August! And the dog days of summer are nearly over. Mainopoly — our 10th summer theme — dropped in the beginning of May. Since then we kicked off and settled into the twice weekly farmers market, held a wine walk, two concerts, First Thursday Shopping Nights, and a car show. We will have another car show (August 27th) and two more concerts (Saturday, August 21st and Friday, September 17th). But until then, and even after, we are focusing on all the possibly lesser known things to enjoy.
If you ever check out summer bucket lists, it seems like that no matter where they are for; they always include a bullet point about acting like a tourist in your own city. And it makes sense, because, funnily, most of us do not do that or do it nearly enough. One of our main goals with every summer theme is to create one that will allow all of our businesses to tie-in with it. This year’s has led to truly fun and creative tie-ins — from dentist offices to the deli.
To celebrate that and to encourage all of us to be a bit more like tourists in our own community and take advantage of all there is, we just unveiled our Mainopoly Bucket List.
Kicking things off, No. 1: Complete a Mainopoly Scavenger Hunt. While we have had scavenger hunts for a few years, we have updated it to include Mainopoly items in various store windows. From the Library version of Monopoly to the Simpson’s version and a couple of our random alley cat murals, you can explore throughout downtown. Does anyone remember the Monroe version of Monopoly from the 1980’s? Have you seen where it is displayed yet? There are family and expert versions. D’oh! Except nothing bad here! You win prizes for completing them.
No. 2: Refresh the Family Game Nights! From humungous Tic-tac-toe at House to Home Designs (we’re talking 3-feet tall) to dozens of classic and new favorite board games at Toy Haus, you can get the latest and unique items for those final summer family nights in or plan ahead for cooler nights in with the kids. I also love the wooden boxed dice sets at House to Home Designs.
No. 3: Eat! This one might be the easiest to do! From Big Taste Boulevard (North Side Pub & Grill) to St. Charlie’s Place (Mad Charlie’s Café), options are plenty. And downtown restaurants have you covered whether it is outdoor dining or carryout.
No. 4: Sip & Savor Official Mainopoly Drinks. Everest Nutrition has an energizing tea specifically for the summer theme. It is Chance Fizz and it is delicious. Equally delicious, but for the adults, is the Ca$h SMaSH Pale Ale at Brewpub Boulevard (Bullquarian Brewhouse). It is a single malt and single hop featuring pale ale malt and Cashmere hops.
No. 5: Advance Token to Nearest Store. Edelweiss Gifts has pulled out all the stops with decorating this year. You have to walk under the Monopoly arch while exploring the store which is filled with many handmade and unique items. Shop all things Monroe at Heartland Graphics. Customize your home décor at 213 Mercantile (because family game nights are where families first learn to fight). And the list goes on!
No. 6: Go to Ice Cream. Treat someone. Or yourself. Chocolate Temptation. The Garden Deli. Rainbow Confections. Mad Charlie’s Café.
No. 7: Enjoy Free Mainopoly Seating. Did you know that Main Street owns and maintains all of the benches downtown? We also added picnic tables last year. Picnic on the courthouse lawn or find a table for that impromptu outdoor coffee date.
No. 8: Explore the Board! 26 pieces. 32 sidewalk stickers. Have you seen them all? Schardt Orthodontics’ was recently added. Many have QR codes. Scan them. Find out what is happening this weekend, pull up menus, and find a coupon code. We also suggest matching the biggest smile on the square, finding the light bulb and the duck. And, roll the dice, too.
Complete information, including downloadable scavenger hunts, can be found at mainstreetmonroe.org.
— Jordan Nordby is the executive director for Main Street Monroe. He can be reached at MonroeMainStreet@tds.net.
