They came, they saw, and they spent money while having a great time.
Throughout the weekend leading up to the eclipse, numerous scheduled activities drew lots of new business to the Downtown area. And at least two different businesses are saying it was among their busiest times ever.
According to Foxtrot Coffee manager Caroline DeArman, the entire week leading up to the eclipse saw a steady increase of business but the day itself was beyond anything she had previously imagined.
“We have had parades and other events that have attracted more people to our business in the past, but nothing like this,” DeArman said. “It was definitely one of the busiest days we’ve ever had since we opened.”
Leanna Alexander, manager of Myrtle’s Place restaurant — also located downtown — echoed those sentiments.
“I have worked here for 20 years, and I would easily rate this as one of the top five busiest times we’ve ever had,” Alexander explained. “We normally operate with four servers, but we were running with nine servers and still had difficulty keeping up.”
Alexander went on to explain that she anticipated a lot of business, but didn’t realize just how busy she would be.
“I was asked how I prepared for it, and I said I don’t know,” Alexander remarked. “I just planned on doing big numbers and I made some big estimates and I’m glad did.”
Alexander explained that even after the eclipse, she continued to see diners from around the world. For example, Tuesday morning, Myrtle’s Place served people from France.
“We actually had some people from Oregon who told me they came here because they saw our video online,” Alexander exclaimed. “They had originally planned to go to Texas but they didn’t like what they were seeing in the forecast, and after they saw our video they came here.”
Margaret Harwell Art Museum Director Steve Whitworth said that he also saw a significant increase in business at the museum as numerous people from all over the country visited and enjoyed the exhibitions.
“I was asking people while they were here, and we had people from Florida, Utah, California and North Carolina,” Whitworth remarked. “Literally, people from all over the country were here.”
Whitworth said the visitors were inquisitive about the area and engaged in a lot conversation about the Poplar Bluff area.
“So many of them said they were really impressed with the sense of community spirit that we have here,” Whitworth remarked.
According to the Greater Poplar Bluff Chamber of Commerce Director Steve Halter, the turnout for the Eclipse Festival in downtown was extremely good on Saturday.
“We had a record turnout for the Wolf Creek run this morning, and this festival has started of very well,” Halter said as hundreds of people milled through the downtown area on Saturday afternoon. “We had a lot of people stopping to look at the DeLorean that was on display. And the live music is obviously a hit. We had a lot of food vendors and everyone seemed to be having a great time.”
Halter said he was encouraged to see so many people and so much activity early in the day, as the festival started at noon and lasted until 6 p.m.
In addition to the music and the storied 1980s vehicle, Missouri Highlands Healthcare kept the 80s theme going into the next day. On Sunday afternoon, the Rodgers Theater held a free screening to the public of Back to the Future. The first 200 people in line received free concessions for the free film.
“We sponsored the DeLorean and we are sponsoring the concessions for the showing of Back to the Future at the Rodgers Theater,” explained Lisa Martin, the director for medication assisted treatment for Missouri Highlands. “It’s just a good opportunity for us to give back to the public and for us to get word out about the medicated assisted treatment we’ll be offering in this area. We just want to be able to make sure that everyone is able to get the help that they need.”
Robbie Myers, director of the Butler County Emergency Management Agency, explained that he is excited to see so many people in Poplar Bluff and enjoying the numerous activities.
“Rodgers Theater has been wonderful to work with as far as showing this movie,” Myers explained. “There has been no cost to the city for this, and we are just happy to be able to give back to the community and offer another fun activity for the family. This movie obviously has touched a lot of people, and the Rodgers Theater definitely means a lot to the people of this community. This being the 75th anniversary for Rodgers Theater just makes everything even better, I think.”
“I think the Chamber of Commerce did an amazing job with putting this whole thing together,” Alexander remarked. “I know it can kind of be a thankless position sometimes, but the chamber really stepped up and planned multiple events in multiple areas of town. I think everyone benefited from their planning and hard work.”