A less than perfect solution

This editorial is not intended to be a black cloud on a holiday weekend. In the days ahead we hope that a record number of people visit Hannibal during National Tom Sawyer Days. Our concern is whether or not people will make the jaunt from Warren Barrett Drive (site of NTSD events and Tanyard Gardens), or even Central Park (site of the Kiwanis Club’s arts and crafts show) to Main Street and the historic district businesses.
Will the relocation have a negative impact on historic district businesses, who have already been weathering the economic storm resulting from the current recession? Only time will tell.
There is no villain to be found in the current state of events. It’s certainly not B&B Theatres which invested millions to build a state-of-the-art cinema in the open lot which for years was the downtown home of NTSD. It’s not the Hannibal Cavemen who generously have provided a new, and apparently permanent, home for NTSD. It’s not the Jaycees, who without the Cavemen’s assistance might have found themselves up the Mississippi River without a paddle in regard to finding a location for the annual celebration.
Some will point to areas such as Nipper Park, which a couple of years ago was used by the Jaycees for Tanyard Gardens and the food vendors, as a potential downtown location for NTSD. However, when the Mississippi River rises in Hannibal, Nipper Park is one of the first areas to be invaded by water. Another problem with Nipper Park is that when the river is forecast to rise significantly, the flood gates must go in, which would cut off easy access to Nipper Park.
There’s also lots of open space on Main Street south of Bear Creek. But the area is prone to going under water and installation of the Main Street flood gate would effectively cut off access to the area. And if we’re talking about proximity to the historic district, south of Bear Creek is not much closer than along Warren Barrett Drive.
The Jaycees are hopeful that by putting part of the carnival on Fourth Street, people in Central Park will come down and check out NTSD’s new location. We hope the same thing will be true in regard to Main Street and that people visiting NTSD will be willing to walk over and visit the historic district, too.