Jackson traffic at festival is source of argument

Thousands converged in uptown Jackson on Tuesday through Saturday evenings last week to enjoy the 95th annual Homecomers celebration.

Every evening, the people bought food from service organizations, spending their money for a good cause.

But every morning, traffic crawled along Hope Street, the result of the closure of several uptown streets, including Main and High. The closed streets affected traffic all over town, turning short trips into tests of patience.

Every evening, children laughed and squealed as various carnival rides spun them in circles. People young and old visited with friends they hadn't seen in ages, while enjoying the local entertainment.

But every weekday, customers, with no place nearby to park, stayed away from uptown businesses, and those businesses lost money.

No one disputes that Homecomers causes problems. The debate whether the tradition of the uptown celebration is worth the trouble, however, has raged for years. Many in the community believe it's time for Homecomers to be moved to the city park. Others say the courthouse lawn is every bit as important as the carnival rides and Optimist fish.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on the subject, but ultimately it is the board of aldermen's opinion that matters, and they will be discussing the issue within the next few meetings.

Perhaps the strongest words come from the uptown business community. Business owners, managers, clerks and bartenders emphatically claim the carnival hurts business.

Three businesses -- Andrew Jackson, B-Tan and Lindsey's Jewelry -- closed down completely last week because of the event, and a fourth business owner said she will close next year if the festival is still uptown. Business owners say the lack of parking and the traffic problems keep customers away from their businesses.

Becky Ruehling of Sweetheart Florist and Dan Tuschhoff of Harold's Jewelry say business drops as much as 75 percent during Homecomers week. Faye Bergstrom of B-Tan says by closing her store she loses about $150 to $200 per day.

Tracy Bonner, who opened up a coffee shop two weeks ago, said she'll likely close down next year during the event and likely lose more than $1,000.

Bonner said she closed early after the first day because some carnival workers came in, ordered chips and water, and lingered past the normal closing time. Bonner didn't have any hard feelings about it, but she realized she would have to close early to leave at a decent hour. Because of that type of traffic, Bonner said she had to clean out the bathrooms more often than normal.

"It's just not worth the hassle," Bonner said.

"They need to put it in the park," said Wendy Snowden, who was bartending at Tractors on Thursday afternoon. "It's screwing up businesses around here. Come on, this is High Street. It's a busy place. Nobody has a place to park, and we've got girls who work until midnight who have to walk by themselves to their cars at night. Our normal customers come in and have to stand in line just to use the bathroom."

Two businesses say the festival actually helps sales. Ross Furniture and Annie Kate's -- a children's clothing store -- stay open late, and some of the Homecomers crowd stops to shop.

Some uptown business people, like insurance agent Janey Foust, say their business isn't hurt, but it is an inconvenience for customers.

"I think it's absurd we still do this," Foust said. "Homecomers is a good thing, but I think the park is where it belongs. My customers can't park and that's the biggest problem, but you absolutely cannot get around this town. It was a joke trying to get out of open house at the high school Monday night."

First celebration

The original Homecomers celebration featured the dedication of the courthouse. Since 1908, the festival has been on the courthouse lawn.

The event is sponsored and organized every year by the American Legion. Bill Poe is the chairman of the Homecomers Committee, and he said the Legion has never considered moving it to the park even though that idea comes up annually.

"If it wasn't uptown, it would just be another carnival," he said. "There is something about the togetherness of uptown."

Homecomers isq part of the town's heritage, and should stay the way it is, Poe said.

Several people who attended Homecomers this week thought the same thing.

"It wouldn't be right having it anywhere else," said Jackson resident Vickie McDonald. "On the square is where it belongs. It's only a few days. It's worth the hassle."

"It's a tradition," said Andrew Johnston, who lives in Cape Girardeau, but attends the event every year. "It just wouldn't be the same at the park."

If it were in the park, many argue, the traffic problems wouldn't be the same, either.

"Oh yeah, the traffic is pitiful," said Jamie Cook, an employee at Fisher Auto Parts on Hope Street. "It pretty much irritates the whole town all week. It doesn't affect the amount of business we get, but it does affect our deliveries. What normally takes three minutes takes 10 to 15 minutes to deliver. I understand tradition, but when the tradition started, there wasn't this type of traffic, either."

Aldermen's decision

Ultimately, the Jackson Board of Aldermen has the authority to force Homecomers to move because it has the authority to shut down the streets.

City administrator Jim Roach said he intends to bring up the issue at an upcoming board study session, while Homecomers is still fresh in everyone's mind.

"I have heard from various people in the community who have concerns about the traffic congestion, and I have talked to business owners and how it affects them," he said. "My observations are that Homecomers is kind of shrinking, and not as many people attend as they used to, so maybe it's a combination of issues that needs to be addressed."

Roach said a move to the park could be an opportunity for a new tradition to begin and, because the event would have more room at the park, organizers would have a chance to add more rides and events.

He said he didn't see the possible traffic and trampling of the park as a bad thing.

He said there are plenty of roads and parking lots in the park so much of the festival could be kept off the grass.

"But I would also argue, 'What is the park for?'" he said. "It's for those type of activities."

Alderman Val Tuschhoff, who works at Ross Furniture, said she would not be in favor of moving Homecomers to the park, citing tradition and seeing the positive impact it can have on businesses.

Alderman Joe Bob Baker said he'd be in favor of moving to the park to help out the uptown businesses and, he believes, improve Homecomers.

"Things change, and there's going to come a time when we'll have to move it to the city park," he said. "If we do that, it can become bigger and maybe have a better atmosphere. It's the same thing year after year, the same rides, the same things to do and it's more of a social thing right now."

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635