Happy New Year and welcome to 2021. I am certain most of you are thankful for a new year, new beginnings, and new hope. Obviously 2020 was a difficult year for everyone, but I believe 2021 will be better!
In January of last year, I became the Executive Director of Historic Downtown Sikeston. I came with big plans, big dreams, and big goals. Little did I know, we would face a big pandemic. This pandemic has impacted those plans, dreams, and goals. The pandemic also has impacted every single merchant in our Downtown. But I have been encouraged by their perseverance and creativity. From doing online specials to curb-side pickup…and everything in between…our Downtown businesses have done their best to serve you, their customers. I am thankful for them and all they invest in this great Downtown. I want to encourage you to be intentional to support our Downtown merchants as they move forward in 2021 to recover from the difficulty of 2020.
I also would like to ask for your help with our organization. Historic Downtown Sikeston is a non-profit organization. We operate mainly off support and donations from the public. Each year we do a couple of fundraiser events, St. Patrick’s Day Festival and Wine Festival, to help meet our operating budget. Both of those events had to be cancelled for 2020. We are currently planning those events for 2021 and expect to be able to have them, but the effect of not having them last year continues to cause a budget shortfall. So, if you would like to help make up what was lost, it is as easy as becoming a Partner/Member of Historic Downtown Sikeston. You can do that by calling me at 573-380-3801, emailing me at director@downtownsikeston.org, or stopping by the office at 215 N. New Madrid St. in Downtown Sikeston. We also have a way for you to join on our website.
Finally, you can support Downtown by your attendance at our events. We have a few new events planned for 2021 that you will be hearing about very soon. Many of the regular events are coming up quickly. The Downtown merchants will be having their Chocolate Walk on February 12th and 13th. You will be able to find that perfect Valentine’s gift and have some sweets while you shop. Then, March 13th is our St. Patrick’s Day event in Legion Park. Make sure to put it on your calendar, put on your green, and come have fun.
I hope your January is amazing and I look forward to seeing you in our great Downtown Sikeston!
Jason A. Davis, Executive Director