Auburn Skies

Elijah Lewis and his grandmother, Fawn Freeman, dance to Acoustic Snack with Jimmy Free, left, and Rands Shay on guitar during Downtown Auburn's Summer Saving Spectacular last weekend. CHARLES CORTES, Auburn Reporter

Mark Asper picked up the heel to inspect the sole of his thick boot, concerned he had stepped on some chewing gum left on the sidewalk.
“You just never know,” said the 65-year-old man from Portland. “I don’t want to drag it around town. And this seems like a nice town.”
Asper was in Auburn, visiting family and checking out a changing downtown. Businesses were open and music was playing. Foot traffic, however, was meager during what many describe as a disappointing sales event last week.
From the sales push, a nucleus of determined merchants still are making the effort to attract activity to their stores. It is a difficult task, made tougher by a soft economy.

Still, the sales event was an attempt.

Downtown businesses are hopeful that next weekend’s Good Ol’ Days Festival will help. The traditional three-day event is a party, full of fun and games, even a parade. It is another opportunity to draw people to the downtown area that has been hit hard by the recession.

The downtown area needs our support.

The downtown area continues to slowly evolve, with demolition planned for three dilapidated buildings opposite City Hall as early as September. More changes are on the way as the City welcomes new ideas and businesses to its core while embracing its own resilient merchants who operate restaurants, apparel shops and other small stores.

For more information about the upcoming festival, visit http://bit.ly/aygaUm. For a related story about the Good Ol’ Days Pioneer Queen, please see http://bit.ly/9f2q8i.