Newly elected Downtown Chestertown Association President Andy Goddard didn’t even have time to create the 2020 town event schedule before the world came to a screeching halt last March.
A year later, she says things look a little brighter despite the ongoing pandemic.
Although the 2021 Tea Party Festival is suspended for a second time, plans for late October’s Downrigging are still being considered, al fresco dining will begin, and other venues like Saturday Market and retail show an uptick in local and tourist shopping. Goddard is also hopeful that ever-popular Chestertown First Fridays will begin in May.
“I’m happy to find out that most businesses weathered the storm better than I expected. Kudos to Kay McIntosh and Mainstreet for setting up the gift card program,” she says.
A Washington College alumna, Goddard has long been part of the Chestertown business scene. For 21 years, she ran the eponymous “Andy’s” bar, an Eastern Shore—if not East Coast—landmark. After the pub’s closure in 2009, she went on to Event Coordinator and Treasurer with DCA. She managed many of the town’s annual events, including Taste of the Town, Crazy Days, Independents’ Day, Home for the Holiday festivities, Santa Claus, and the Holiday Parade.
Upholding its central tenet, “Buy Local – Think Chestertown First,” the Downtown Chestertown Association, as a “non-profit member-based association, is committed to providing current and prospective businesses with marketing opportunities in traditional formats as well as through social media platforms.”
But as we have experienced this last year, traditions are no longer the norm, and businesses have had to be adaptive and agile to stay afloat. Throughout this, Goddard has been exploring new ways to promote Chestertown businesses and get the word out to weekend travelers that Chestertown continues to be a favorite Eastern Shore destination.
The Spy caught up with Andy last week and talked about this last year and how the town is working to keep the doors open during the ongoing pandemic.
This video is approximately nine minutes in length.
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