Main Street Live! Concert Series Still On

After careful consideration with the city board, and information from the governor’s office,the 16th annual Main Street Live! event will still take place in McMinnville this summer.

Main Street Executive Director Teresa Prober said it is the concert goer’s responsibility to implement most social distancing.

“We want to give people something to look forward to,” Prober said. “But everybody has to do their part, we can only do so much. Everybody else has to kinda work with us. Music brings us together like nothing else, and we really want to do this. Hopefully we’ll be able to do this in a responsible way, and people will still have fun.”

During concerts at the outdoor venue, small American flags will be placed six feet apart for families to sit. Prober said they still plan to follow any guidelines the governor updates.

“Because of the incremental plan, we thought it would be a mistake to cancel the whole concert series,” Prober said. “Plus we’re in a county that has a low rate of COVID. We are a small town, and it’s not like 10,000 people come to these concerts, they don’t.”

Main Street McMinnville hosts the concert series every year. Prober said because they are a non profit, they don’t want to have police there to ensure the guidelines are being met.

“We’ll put it out, we’ll do our best to ensure people are following them,” Prober said. “So yes, it will change the atmosphere. It’s not going to be as carefree, and there’s not a lot we can do about that.”

Some residents have voiced concerns, but Prober said most responses have been positive toward keeping the event going.

Prober said depending on what the governor mandates, the first June 12 concert date could change.