The streets are alive with the sound of music!
Music is now on main thanks to a year-long effort by a local nonprofit, the City of Claremore and generous donors.
“Claremore Main Street has been working to bring music to downtown Claremore for about a year now,” said Jessica Jackson, Executive Director of the Main Street organization. “We are so excited that it launched on Wednesday, just in time for the last weekend of Christmas shopping!”
Psychological studies have shown that music places to people’s emotions and social instincts. It enhances customer moods and visual pleasure, leading to increased happiness.
“After experiencing it firsthand in another community, it became apparent it was something that would be beneficial to Claremore, a way to develop a sense of place downtown,” Jackson said.
The organization needed to raise funds to make it happen, and at the same time, wanted the whole community to feel ownership over the project.
What came out was a crowdfunding project. More than 100 donors over four months contributed to raising the funds for Music on Main.
“We were beyond grateful for the support of our donors and the community. Every dollar ensured this project was completed. Every little bit helped, and we are thankful for each hard-earned penny donated,” Jackson said.
Corporate sponsors provided matching funds to help individuals double their impact. Corporate sponsors were Claremore MoH, Downtown Claremore Merchant Association, The District on Main, GRDA and RCB Bank.
The music is currently scheduled to play from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.
“A new system always takes a little tweaking,” Jackson said. “We will be working with the businesses, residents and customers over the next few weeks to resolve any bugs or issues.”