Main Street Mt. Pleasant hosting beer walk

Downtown Mt. Pleasant will come alive for the third annual Saving of the Green Beer Walk Thursday night, hosted by the city’s Main Street group.

Main Street Mt. Pleasant Executive Director Lisa Oetken said 21 businesses would participate in the event, which overlaps with St. Patrick's Day and a more local celebration.

“We are celebrating our 20-year anniversary as an organization and a Main Street town,” she said. “We try to do something every month for the retailers to get people shopping downtown.”

Oetken said the event was a great way to get people out.

“We like getting people to come into our stores and it's a way to get people to see what we have,” she said. “We want to bring new people and businesses to the downtown, bring an awareness of what we have to offer. The Main Street district, we have over 140 businesses, and we have all kinds of different kinds of businesses from women’s boutiques to hair salons to gifts and antiques and restaurants … we do it so people can become aware of what we have.”

Several businesses downtown, most of which don’t conventionally serve drinks, have picked out products to sample, and many have added sales that will run during the event.

“A few of them have contacted different breweries, some of them just purchase different beers to sample,” she said. “I don’t which business, but they always have Spotted Cow, and people love Spotted Cow beer … a lot of people try to get local craft beers and hard ciders from Southeast Iowa.”

Proceeds from the event go to the organization itself, which it uses to market downtown commerce.

“We welcome everyone to come out,” she said. “It’s supposed to be a nice evening.”

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com