People have walked into storefront windows, careened down the Boonville hill and hit home runs into the Park Central Square fountain.
It’s been a fun and funky summer in downtown Springfield.
“Pokemon Go” has inspired thousands of smartphone-toting users to get up off the couch and venture outside to try to “catch ‘em all” since its release July 6. A grassroots event quickly prepared by fans on July 15 drew an estimated 3,000 people to Park Central Square. The main concern has been that users often become so enamored with the game that they forget to watch where they’re going and run the risk of wandering into traffic or other urban obstacles.
The next day, Slide the City transformed the square mall into a water park of sorts. An estimated 1,500 sliders came out for the event that was produced by Sack Lunch Productions out of Salt Lake City. It brought new business to the brick-and-mortar sidewalk cafes and a handful of summertime mobile vendors serving ice cream, snow cones, lemonade and tacos. After hearing about similar events in larger cities across the country, it was a milestone for Springfield to attract Slide the City and be successful.
Meanwhile, the Downtown Wiffle League has fielded 12 teams playing on six downtown fields each Wednesday night throughout the summer. Downtown Springfield Association created the league as a way to foster camaraderie within its offices and playful competitiveness with their neighbors. It has generated positive buzz and has become another way for downtown to reinforce itself as a place for young professionals to work in southwest Missouri.
It’s too early to tell if “Pokemon Go,” water slides and whiffle ball will endure or are just passing fads. However, they share three key qualities attractive to millennials.
1. Social.
Young people are finding new ways to come together in public spaces. It will be interesting to see how Pokemon’s augmented reality will undoubtedly expand both within the game and in new apps. Slide the City and Wiffle League have demonstrated that streets and parks can be quickly transformed into radically different venues. These creative uses of public spaces complement the continued expansion of downtown’s sidewalk cafes. Downtown leaders will be exploring new ways to grow foot traffic through events and activities that promote sociability.
2. Active.
People are looking for ways to breathe fresh air and be more active. Apps like “Pokemon Go” and wearable tech, such as Fitbit, are promoting users to meet step goals and take ownership of their health. Adding some playful competition helps make wellness fun with less drudgery. Downtown already is host to numerous 5Ks through the Springfield-Greene County Parks Department, and the Ozarks Regional YMCA offers free yoga in the square in the summer. Organizers will continue to work with wellness partners to find new fun-filled ways to promote being more active and generate new revenue streams.
3. Nostalgic.
Pokemon, water slides and whiffle ball are all fond memories for millennials. Part of the draw for the Boonville hill were the generations of Springfieldians who remember climbing up it for Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day parades. Downtown is well positioned for its businesses to tap into nostalgia to attract patrons back to both remember yesteryear and create new memories in renovated spaces. The upcoming completion of the History Museum on the Square will offer more opportunities to connect with downtown’s rich heritage.
After a historic year of reopening the Heer’s building, Sky Eleven, Sterling and Hotel Vandivort, downtown has a different feel with new loft residents and office workers utilizing their backyards more sociably, actively and memorably.
Stay tuned for further funkiness.
Rusty Worley, executive director of Downtown Springfield Association, can be reached at rusty@itsalldowntown.com.
