By Karen Hall

Editor

Downtown Alliance members are excited about the first Second Saturday of the summer, to be held Saturday, May 11.

At its meeting last week the LDA firmed up plans for the all-day event.

"Every active member will need to participate," said member Ken Todd. He plans to recruit some volunteer helpers from Marshall County High School as well.

First and Church Streets will be closed off, Todd said. The bandstand will be in front of the Dixie Theatre. For May 11, there are 25 vendors signed up. Currently, it is free to set up a booth on the square for Second Saturday. Later, when the event becomes very popular, LDA may consider charging a fee for vendors to help cover promotion costs.

"The Second Saturdays will keep drawing people to the square for a festival atmosphere," said Todd. "It can become a tradition."

Right now, LDA plans to let Second Saturdays grow naturally.

New this year will be a mobile T-shirt business that can print on the spot, and plans were quickly made to get "Staff" shirts printed for LDA members to wear at Second Saturdays.

LDA plans to pay for big and little "bounce houses" to be set up on the square to provide fun for the children.

There will be something happening on the square from 10 a.m. all the way to 9 p.m. The Cruise-In is from 4 to 8 p.m., and there will be live music from 6 to 9 p.m.

Slowly but surely, business is returning to the square. The newest is Nana's Little Peeps on the east side of the square, next to Todd's Two Squared. It is a children's consignment shop, run by Norma Lucas, whose husband Ken is already operating the men's consignment shop on the square.

At the LDA meeting it was announced the building next to the corner recently bought by Dorris Wayne Weaver has been sold to a couple who dreams of putting a restaurant there.

"We're delighted Dorris Wayne has bought the building," said LDA chairman Leland Carden. "It's already been painted and that corner makes the whole square look better."

LDA member Ron Maggi said the former Java Cafe building on West Commerce Street, just off the square, had been sold, possibly to someone who already owns downtown property.

First timers at the LDA meeting were Thomas and Melinda Spiller who have bought the building formerly occupied by Chickee's.

"We're not related to anybody here," said Thomas Spiller. "Some of our friends are like familly, though."

He explained they moved to Marshall County in 2007. Then they adopted some special needs children, and moved to Williamson County because they thought the schools would be better there.

"The schools were no better," he said, so they came back to Marshall County. "This feels like home."

Spiller pointed out they pay more property taxes on their home here than on the one in Williamson County, even though the house here is worth less.

The cost of living here looks low, he said, because the price of houses is low, but the higher taxes push it up to nearly the same as other, wealthier counties.