Muncie's annual Mardi Gras festival is adding a few new attractions this year - including a zipline and wedding chapel that are expected to attract a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd of at least 11,000 throughout the night.
Cheryl Crowder, event director at Muncie Downtown Development Partnership, said it was a bit of luck and good connections that brought the zipline to this weekend's Muncie Gras.
"It was just a wonderful coming together of the stars that we ended up with it," Crowder said. "It came to us. We were lucky enough to secure the date with [the owner]."
ATTRACTIONS
The 45-foot high contraption will be installed above Charles Street in front of the Fickle Peach on Saturday afternoon. The ride will cost $10.
New Heights, a company that already provides the mechanical bull and other attractions for Muncie Gras, approached Downtown Development with the idea for the zipline, Crowder said.
She said the zipline in Indianapolis also served as inspiration. The Super Bowl zipline brought a total of 10,429 guests to use the attraction, and now even the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has considered adding a similar draw to the Indy 500, according to the Indianapolis Star.
Other attractions at the 11th annual Muncie Gras event include three outdoor stages, a dance party tent, calf roping, a go-go cage and a mock Vegas wedding booth.
The event was pushed back a month after Fat Tuesday due to the threat of bad weather. Even so, there's still a 20 percent chance of rain on Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.
Streets will be closed a few hours prior the start of Muncie Gras to set up stages, including Walnut Street from Jackson to Charles as well as Jackson, Adams and Charles Streets from High to Mulberry. Some of the streets will reopen as soon as the event is over early Sunday morning, while others will stay closed until later that day.
Vicki Veach, development director at Downtown Development, said she has high expectations for this year's Muncie Gras.
"If the weather holds like it has been, I think it can be one of the biggest Muncie Gras we've ever had," she said.
Veach said the event will be profitable in two ways: by helping businesses gain more customers and by providing funds for future events downtown.
NOT SO PROFITABLE FOR SOME
Although some bars and restaurants will benefit directly from the event, others have been looking for ways to attract people who might not be interested in their business during Muncie Gras.
Brandon Mundell, owner of Toys Forever Models and Hobbies, said although the event has become a great attraction to the downtown area, not all businesses profit that night or even earlier during the day. Several businesses like Toys Forever lose people on that Saturday because of roads being blocked and people setting up booths and attractions.
"It's a very neat event that we do down here. I think it's one of the great things we do downtown," he said. "[But] in terms of economic development, I don't think it's a great economic development tool."
Mundell said another downside to Muncie Gras is the impression that bars are all downtown has to offer.
"I've had people say, 'I don't come downtown because all you have are bars down there,' and I tell them, 'No, we have other stuff downtown,'" he said. "But that's not getting communicated really well."
IN THE STREETS
Some of the street vendors will also represent businesses downtown. Chris Pich+â-¬, co-owner of the Fickle Peach, said the bar will be open, but they'll also have a booth outside. In the past, the lack of vendors had prompted Downtown Development to look for other businesses from around the area.
"We now have an outside bar [during Muncie Gras], but it took us a couple years to jump up and sell those positions because we were a little gun shy," Pich+â-¬ said. "The key thing was that until then, we all stepped up and started filling these spots."
Like Mundell, Pich+â-¬ said other business are not seeing a direct benefit from Muncie Gras.
"My concern is the bars benefit, but a lot of our other retailers don't see the benefit as we do," he said. "They have to really go outside the box to make money at this event."
However, Pich+â-¬ said he recognizes Muncie Gras benefits the community as a whole by keeping Downtown Development and its events going.
"The most important thing about it is that it helps fund our Downtown Development office with allowing us to do other events," he said.
Bob Hartley, president of The Artist Within, said while his business will be closed early on Saturday, he is thinking of setting up a booth outside to do face and body paint. Instead of setting a price, Hartley will ask for donations, which will be sent to the Multiple Sclerosis Campaign.
Though he didn't see much profit for his business, Hartley said events like Muncie Gras could be the reason why downtown is much more vibrant than it used to be.
The first few years of Muncie Gras, vendors were invited to rent some of the vacant buildings downtown. Now, most buildings are occupied, so vendors have to use tents outside.
"It's not just pigeons everywhere anymore," he said. "It's always good to bring people downtown."
Read More
Ball State students host protest over Office of Inclusive Excellence closing
By Linnea Sundquist and Shelby Anderson / 10 hours agoApril 18 Ball State Students protest the new changes made by administration.
How students are preparing for finals
By Cameron Noe / 14 hours agoAs finals week quickly creeps up, students make sure they are taking care of their mental health.
Take Back the Night empowers survivors at Ball State
By Ava Lens / 15 hours agoTake Back the Night was a night for survivors to take back the night they once lost.
