Thursday night comeback

It was once a popular pastime to spend Thursday nights on Main Street Luverne when businesses were open late and community members came downtown to shop and socialize.
Business owners and local leaders are working to restore that pastime by creating additional reasons to be downtown Luverne on a Thursday night to support commerce.
At their March 22 meeting, City Council members approved a request by the Luverne Retail Marketing Group to temporarily close off parking spaces downtown on the fourth Thursday night of each month from May through August to accommodate a live band and outdoor seating.
The temporary closures will be from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. with live acoustic music playing from 5 to 9 p.m.
The parking closures will be on the north side of Main Street from Sterling's to approximately Reborn Furnishings and on the south side of Main Street in front of Pizza Ranch.
The parking areas will be sectioned off by cones, and the activity won't block traffic traveling both directions on Main Street.
Luverne Area Chamber Director Jane Wildung Lanphere attended the March 22 meeting to answer questions about the parking closure request.
Councilman Eugene Marshall asked how seating would work in the parking areas.
"We would actually use seating on the sidewalks, and we wouldn't block traffic," Lanphere said.
"The Retail Marketing Group sees this as a way to build traffic downtown. ... The idea is to build community success on Thursday night by having something going on every Thursday night to keep that going."
She said the Palace Theatre has its free Bank Night movies sponsored by Papik Motors and the local banks, Take 16 Brewery has its block party on East Main Street the second Thursday of the month and the Hinkly House hosts special events every third Thursday in the summer.
"The Retail Marketing Group would fill in on that fourth Thursday," Lanphere said.