SPARTA, Mich — Event planners across the world are trying to figure out how they can host events that often stimulate local economies, while keeping people safe at the same time. They may just have their eyes on what's happening in a northern Kent County village.
The Sparta Chamber of Commerce held its first summer concert Wednesday evening downtown in Rogers Park, with some notable changes to the rules.
"Our concerts in the park naturally allow people to gather in small, intimate settings with their families and they can stay separated, six feet plus apart," said Elizabeth Morse who serves as the Director of Sparta's Downtown Development Authority and Chamber of Commerce.
To get into the roped-off event space, a ticket was necessary and only 100 were given out. At this point, only events of 100 people or less are allowed in Michigan. Anyone without a ticket was still allowed to watch, so long as they were spread throughout the rest park. Families attending were encouraged to keep their distance from other groups.
Morse says for a small town like Sparta, events like this are crucial for stimulating the economy, and they did everything they could to avoid canceling the series.
"We knew that we couldn’t just wait a year. Our businesses couldn’t handle that. Our local folks wanted to see something happen," she said.
"We have an amazing events coordinator Rebecca Wildeboer and she put in a ton of time, effort, and research on how to activate our spaces, and how to make something like this even possible."
Morse says Wildeboer is on top of all the rules and regulations, and Wednesday's concert will help the village plan more events in the future.
"What happens tonight is going to help us learn human behavior, human traffic patterns, all of those different types of things. Where people feel safe, how many people we feel is appropriate for a space.
"We’re taking it a week at a time, especially as the new safety measures come out and the amount of people can gather changes."
The Chamber is looking forward to hearing from attendees on how they can improve their safety procedures throughout the summer.
"It’s just wonderful to hear their feedback and to see them coming out," Morse said.
"Sparta is a very close-knit community. We love our community. We love our businesses. It has been very difficult to be separated for so long, so something like tonight showcases love for everything Sparta."
Attendees were also encouraged to support local businesses during their time downtown.
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