September 26, 2019 | Community Spotlight: Ponca City, Oklahoma |
Photo credit: Brook Lindsay
Last July, property owners, merchants, volunteers, donors, board members, city officials, and residents attended the “Main Street Mixer” in downtown Ponca City, Oklahoma. However, this wasn’t your average meet-and-greet. Ponca City Main Street staff organized creative and fun activities for attendees – and the outcome was a huge success. The three-hour event had an excellent turnout, with a crowd of about 125 guests.
During the first half of the mixer, participants mingled and enjoyed complimentary beverages and snacks during social hour. Next up was a program overview highlighting opportunities to get involved and support the PCMS mission. Then, attendees were invited to get involved and stop by the five activity stations that were set up in the room – a real hit with the crowd. The stations included:
- Photo Op Area – A back drop of Ponca’s downtown streetscape with a volunteer photographer to capture photos of attendees.
- Map of Downtown – Guests were invited to put stickers on businesses they worked at or owned, buildings they owned, and/or their favorite downtown spot.
- Paint by Number – A group art project. PCMS wanted guests to be aware of the arts and culture strategy they’re pursuing and thought this was a good way to get people involved. The painting they created was a geometric fox, the city’s historic mascot. (One of the city’s founders was a big fox hunter in the early 1900s). The painting will eventually be part of their Art in the Alley display.
- Big Ideas – Participants shared their big ideas and wildest dreams for downtown. By using brightly colored post-its, folks stuck them to the big windows in the event space.
- Committee Sign-Ups – An area for guests to sign up for committees. One of the main goals for the mixer was to reinvigorate the volunteers and to encourage new folks to sign up for a committee. They were super successful in that regard with 33 new volunteers on the roster that night! Posters described each committee, their tasks, and space for people to volunteer. Everyone who signed up that night was entered in a drawing for one of three prizes.
Below is a snapshot of their schedule, and as NMSC's Sr. Program Officer and Director of Coordinating Program Services Kathy La Plante stated: “Every community should do this.”
- 5pm – Social Hour with complimentary beverages and snacks
- 6pm – PCMS program overview
- 6:30pm – Prize drawings for three lucky winners!
Drawing Prizes:
- FREE Main Street Business Level Membership ($365 value)
- $100 beautification grant to be used anywhere within the Central Business District
- $100 gift card to your favorite Main Street member merchant
PCMS added five new members by the end of the night. One of the new members specifically told a Board member that they really appreciated not being pushed to join. The staff felt that these five members were a real bonus. The “Main Street Mixer” was such a success that staff hopes it can be replicated on a bi-annual basis.