The establishment of Arkansas’ first entertainment district, a venture Mountain Home civic leaders hope will be a financial boon to its downtown area, started with a simple goal of sprucing up the town square to attract more local business and tourism.
City of Mountain Home banners started popping up around the historic square, flowers were planted in hanging pots, buildings and sidewalks were power washed, benches were installed, empty buildings were identified and Hickory Park, not part of the district, was revamped.
That much was accomplished fairly quickly after a committee of leaders known as Baxter County Forward surveyed residents about what could be done to inject life into the downtown area.
Baxter County Forward partnered with the Mountain Home Chamber of Commerce leadership team, the city of Mountain Home, Care Center Ministries and the Rotary Club to get the facelift accomplished.
Before long, apartments were being rented along the square, a financial advisor and doctor moved their offices downtown, a barber shop opened, not to mention the establishment of a microbrewery, wine bar and a pub.
Another wheel was set in motion on March 28 when the Arkansas Legislature passed Senate Bill 492, now known as Act 812, which allows cities in Arkansas to establish entertainment districts.
The main caveat about creating entertainment districts is allowing patrons of establishments in the district to openly carry alcoholic beverages at designated times.
The Mountain Home City Council, tipped by the vote of Mayor Hillrey Adams, passed an ordinance by a 5-3 vote on June 20 to establish the first entertainment district in Arkansas.
The entertainment district mostly follows the lines of Mountain Home’s historic commercial district, which runs from Fifth to Eighth Streets and from Hickory to South Street, except that Church Street will serve as the entertainment district boundary.
Mountain Home’s entertainment district opened on July 26, two days after the state law took effect, when Duncan Clayton of Clayton’s Downtown Grille served a beer to his father, Jack Clayton, under the new law.
New businesses continue to spring up, and the city is receiving inquiries about the district from businesses across the nation.
Sign up for Daily E-news
