Independence Week Festivities Reported at MainStreet Oceanside Meeting

Southbound Cleveland Street will be closed from Surfrider Way to Mission Avenue during Sunset Market hours starting April 4 to accommodate the ever-growing Sunset Market.

Besides learning of the street closure, about 30 people attending the April Monthly Morning Meeting of MainStreet Oceanside heard of plans for an expanded Sunset Market on Fourth of July in order to reverse the trend for declining downtown patronage during the holiday.

Kim Heim, director of special projects for MainStreet, said the number of visitors downtown on the Fourth has diminished yearly since the city stopped sponsoring a nighttime fireworks display in 2009.

The fireworks are back on for this year - around the city's El Corazon property in the center of town in conjunction with the city's 125th birthday celebration July 3.
Heim said the market, usually open from 5 to 9 p.m., will run from 2 to 9:30 p.m. on July 4th.

Cathy Nykiel, who heads MainStreet's Independence Day activities, said the annual parade will be held June 29 with an anniversary theme of "Celebrate Oceanside: Past - Present - Future".

Nykiel asked for 50-75 volunteers for the parade which will go from Wisconsin Street to Civic Center Drive along Coast Highway and include school displays, bands, civic groups, church organizations and Scouts.

Also regarding the city's birthday, David Nydegger, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, showed banners available for $250 each. The banners display uniform anniversary information but the bottom portion can be customized to advertise individual businesses.

Nydegger said 1,250 cupcakes baked by Tri-City Medical Center will be available at the city's birthday celebration at 11 a.m. July 3 at City Hall.

On another matter, Nydegger also told of his visit to Oceanside, N. Y., hit heavily by Super Storm Sandy last October. The Oceanside Chamber had collected $11,000 worth of $50 gift cards and sent them to its counterpart in New York to help victims of the devastation.

Rick Wright, MainStreet executive director, introduced special guest Sue Pruett, the artist who created the mural along the backside of the Sunshine Brooks Theatre.
Wright presented a framed Downtown Hero Award certificate to Pruett, who recently volunteered her efforts - and paint - to restore the lower portion of the mural, which had been damaged by graffiti.

“You guys keep an eye on it,” she asked, adding “I live here. I will drive by” as well.
Pruett said she would repair the entire mural if she had a “cherry-picker” kind of device to reach the upper portions. Roseanne Kiss from North County Printers and a MainStreet board member, said she had just such a device.

Gumaro Escarcega, MainStreet programs director, said meetings of new committees to help with downtown development have begun.

Escarcega said the Economic Structuring Committee already has met and the Promotions Committee had scheduled a meeting for the next day. He said the new Design Committee would meet in the next couple of weeks.

And, he said, MainStreet Oceanside and Cardiff 101 Main Street are co-hosting a meeting of Main Street boosters throughout the county on May 3rd.

Wright announced that results of a survey of downtown business needs conducted by students at California State University San Marcos will be revealed at the May Monthly Morning Meeting, and the students have been assured that they can report the negative as well as the positive.

Wright also announced that the film “Bring It On,” a cheerleder-themed movie filmed in Oceanside, will be shown at the beach amphitheater from 5 to 10 p.m. June 29.

He also told of an upcoming football game between semi-profesional teams the North County Cobras and the San Diego Thunder to raise money for Oceanside track-and-field athletes. The game will be played in the Oceanside High School sports stadium on June 29th after the parade. Kick-off is at 2:00 p.m.

Nydegger also told of the chamber's annual Business Expo from 2 to 7 p.m. July 17 at 1351 Rocky Point Drive., saying there will be five breweries, a winery and five food booths represented. Admission is $10, but he offered free passes.

City Councilman Gary Felien urged local residents to let the council know what it thinks of a plan to outsource management of the harbor.

The high cost of health care and pensions, Felien said, is forcing the council to try outsourcing as much as possible, so that employees will still get the same salary, but the city will not be stuck with the expensive benefits.

Sandra Burrow-Boren, senior sales executive, told of her company, Majestic Socialmedia's new location at 1930 S. Coast Highway, and said it can help any size business learn how to market itself better using social media.

Rosalinda Delgado said that Accion, a San Diego non-profit organization which provides small business loans from $2,001 to $50,000 - amounts of little interest to major banks - has opened a satellite office at North County Lifeline, 200 Michigan Ave., Vista.

Cerina De Souza from Visit Oceanside reported that the annual tourism summit will be held May 2, carrying out the 125th anniversary theme. And she said there will be an open house at 9 a.m. May 9 at the California Welcome Center.

Howard LaGrange said 2,500 people participated in the Ironman 70.3 competition at the end of March, and a total of 7,500 people came to town for the event.
Next, LaGrange said, will be Beach Soccer competition May 18-19.

John Daley said Oceanside Historical Society will resume its second Saturday downtown historical walks this month, running through September. Interested parties should meet at the Civic Center Plaza, 330 N. Coast Highway, at 9:00 a.m.

The meeting closed with applause, led by Anne Speraw, for the Oceanside Chamber's efforts to help its counterpart in New York.

The next monthly meeting will be held at 8:30 a.m. on May 7th at the MainStreet office.

Meeting notes by Lola Sherman