11th “Girls Night Out on the Square” to be held Nov. 4 in Pittsfield
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By DAVID CAMPHOUSE
After being canceled because of COVID-19 in 2020, the 11th Annual “Girls Night Out on the Square” in Pittsfield is back for 2021, and scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 4, from 4-8 p.m.
More than two dozen businesses, as well as the Pittsfield city government, will participate in this year’s event.
Pittsfield Mayor Gary Mendenhall stressed the importance of Girls Night Out on the Square and other events that encourage residents to get out on the town and shop local.
“From the city’s perspective, anytime money is spent here and local businesses are promoted, that’s a good thing for everybody,” Mendenhall said.
Like most year’s, many businesses will have other vendors set up inside their business with even more items to explore and purchase.
Mendenhall also said that this year the City of Pittsfield will host activities, including live music, within a 30’ by 60’ tent during Girls Night Out on the Square.
“The city is super excited to host a tent and a stop during this year’s event,” Mendenhall said. “We’ll have the music of Shane Allen from 6-8 p.m. in the city’s tent. We’re glad to participating this year.”
Kaye Iftner, former Executive Director of the Pike County Chamber of Commerce and current Chamber Board Treasurer, said that the Chamber and Pittsfield Main Street originally developed Girls Night Out after hearing about a similar event in another community.
“We were at a conference and we heard about a similar event in a town smaller that Pittsfield,” Iftner said. “We looked at each other, and said ‘we can do this in Pittsfield.’”
Iftner emphasized the economic importance of Girls Night Out on the Square to small businesses in Pike County – stating it brings new customers from dozens of surrounding communities to the county.
“This is a fantastic event for Pittsfield and really all of Pike County,” Iftner said. “It has grown from 20 or 30 participants the first year to over 700 registered participants from over 50 communities from here in Pike County and beyond. It’s truly a remarkable event.”
“Girls Night Out serves several purposes. First, it’s a good opportunity for women to have a fun night out with their neighbors and friends. It’s also a chance to get started with holiday shopping, close to home,” Iftner said. “Most importantly, it brings people into downtown businesses. Our hope is, even if people don’t make purchases that evening, that they’ll see what these great businesses have to offer and will come back soon.”
Harpole’s Heartland Lodge has generously donated the Grand Prize for Girls Night Out on the Square, a stay for two at the lodge.
For more information on the event, look for “Girls Night Out on the Square” on Facebook. Those wishing to be added to the Chamber’s email list should send a request to pikechamber@casscomm.com.
Girls Night Out on the Square is a cooperative event between the City of Pittsfield, the downtown businesses and the Pike County Chamber of Commerce.
For information about the Girls Night Out on the Square, contact the Chamber office at 217-285-2971 (please leave a message) or send an email to pikechamber@casscomm.com
