Perhaps the moniker Hot July Nights is appropriate when it comes to the heated debate over the relocation of the Show & Shine portion of the event.
While there has been some finger pointing of blame from those for and against the move to Centennial Park — both at the water cooler and in the pages of this newspaper, there are good reasons that led to the decision.
There appears to be a common thread of concern about the relocation of the event in that it will take away the ambiance of hosting the Hot July Nights Car, Bike Show and Swap Meet on the downtown streets of our community.
However, things change and change generally only happens through necessity. And with change, we generally experience resistance. It’s neither good nor bad; it’s purely a matter of human nature.
Without pointing fingers of blame, we can see good points on both sides of the equation.
The organizing committee members changed the date of their annual event so they wouldn’t interfere with the local soccer association’s hosting of the 2011 U13 and U15 Provincial B Cup.
And while change was in the air, they decided to move the Show & Shine to Saturday afternoon and evening from Sunday morning. Like every group, they’re finding volunteers harder and harder to come by, and the move worked better for the hardworking people they had on board.
The problem that arises is the setup would have to begin at 2 p.m. and that meant closing the downtown streets, which, in turn, means downtown merchants would lose some business traffic on what for many is there busiest day.
With the way the economy is today, nobody can afford to lose possible sales, and some of the businesses said they didn’t want the street closed and that, in turn, convinced the organizers to find an alternate location.
However, some other downtown merchants want the event to stay downtown, and that may very well be what happens next year.
Clearly, it’s an issue the downtown merchants will have to resolve amongst themselves.
Because the ultimate decision on whether any street in 100 Mile House closes for an event is in the hands of the district council, we suggest local merchants and the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce sit down with council and iron out a policy we can all live with.
Ken Alexander
Editor - simplymastery
