During the lockdown and beyond, Main Street Lebanon lobbied for financial grants for Lebanon businesses that were forced to close.
“We got a grant for the Greenhouse Café and Bar, which allowed them to add an outdoor patio,” Lipton said. “It’s a small space, like a bistro in Europe. Without that outdoor patio, they wouldn’t have been able to reopen because there’s not enough room inside for social distancing.”
The area is getting a shot in the arm this weekend with the Lebanon Country Music Festival, which will take place Friday and Saturday at Mulberry Street Plaza. Officials and businesses owners are hopeful the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and more events like the festival will reenergize the downtown area.
Sonya Staffan owns two shops in Lebanon, the apparel store Oh Susanna, and the Jam and Jelly Lady, which sells custom jam preserves. For the country music festival, she’ll be rolling out the Jam Session (black raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries).
During the COVID-19 limitations, Staffan improvised by adding products to her website, fighting for raw materials (there was a jar shortage), purchasing air purifiers and masks, doing a weekly online show and sale on Facebook, and providing free delivery to local residents.
“We weren’t doing anything anyway,” Staffan said. “It was fun to drive around and to have a purpose. We actually had a really good Easter because nobody was going out and our deliveries were touch-free.”
Although Staffan was never in danger of losing her businesses and didn’t have to worry about her employees (they’re mostly retirees who love the craft), she often felt on the front lines of the anti-maskers, a small but extremely vocal crowd. The exhaustion of being confronted by them caused Staffan to shut down in January 2021 for five weeks.
When people came in unmasked, 75 percent of the time it was because they just forgot,” she said. “The other 25 percent…we’ve been called the worst names in the world. Some people would go to their cars, get on social media, and write nasty things underneath every single one of our posts, telling people to boycott us.” When asked if the fact her employees were among the most vulnerable population had any effect, she replied, “I don’t think they cared.”
Staffan herself contracted a tough case of COVID-19, which included 13 bedridden days and a stint in the hospital. She considers herself lucky to be alive.
“And yet,” she said. “I knew there were still people in my stores, challenging my staff, knowing that I was in the hospital with (COVID-19).”
Fast forward to the present, with restrictions fully lifted, and Lipton and Stannan said COVID-19 protocols for the festival would be minimal. Masking is voluntary. Stannan has a 15-person occupancy limit for her stores. Lipton said they’ll be closing Broadway Street as well as Mulberry Street to traffic to provide more spaced-out seats.
“This will be the largest festival in Lebanon (since COVID-19),” Lipton said. “We’re looking forward to having people here who haven’t been here for 16 months, and for local people to get out and see friends in a festive atmosphere.”
Historically, Stannan said she does approximately 10 percent more business during the festival than on a typical shopping day.
“We put on a show,” she said. “We get into the theme of things by wearing cowboy hats and boots. People are charmed by it and come back. People tend to buy the small food items: jams, local syrup and honey, bread mixes. I like that we’re gathering in a healthier way. Last year, we still had a few small festivals, and that had me worried. Everyone’s looking for an opportunity to celebrate, to feel normal again.”
Lipton said that downtown Lebanon, like the Banks in downtown Cincinnati, is a DORA space, where people can purchase alcoholic beverages and carry them around outside. There will be domestic and craft beers, wine, cocktails, and seltzers. Food will include BBQ, tacos (conventional and Korean), ice cream, pineapple whips, funnel cakes, and more.
Last but not least, there’s the lineup of country artists and bands: two on Friday night and seven more on Saturday. The Saturday night headliner is 90 Proof Twang, a popular regional band. In the meantime, everyone is ready to drop 2020 into a memory hole.
“When I look at my (financial) books,” Stannan said. “I don’t even look at 2020 for comparisons. I look at 2019.”
How to Go
What: Lebanon Country Music Festival
When: June 11-12, 6-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10:45 p.m. Saturday
Where: Mulberry Street Plaza, Lebanon
Cost: No admission cost
More Info: www.mainstreetlebanon.org
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