By Anna Skinner
The City of Carmel has requested businesses in the Carmel Arts and Design District stay open until midnight June 24 to help put the city on display.
A group of mayors from around the country will be visiting Carmel for the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Indianapolis. The event’s opening-night social activities will take place in Carmel.
According to a letter sent by Nancy Heck, director of economic development and community relations for the City of Carmel, to Arts and Design District business owners, following an event at the Palladium, the mayors will experience a “Night in the District.”
“We are honored to play host to hundreds of mayors on their first night in central Indiana and we believe lighting up the District with a party atmosphere is a great way to show them what makes Carmel so special,” Heck stated in a press release.
The letter sent to businesses states businesses will be given $100 from the city to cover electrical and staff expenses if they stay open until midnight. Many have agreed to keep their doors open past normal business hours.
“At first, we were undecided about whether to stay open later that night,” stated Adam Aasen, co-owner of Donatello’s Italian Restaurant, 9 W. Main St. “We always want more customers, but we work long hours as a family-run restaurant, and we have no idea how many people might actually come in. We decided to compromise and just have a limited staff during those hours … We decided we want to support the city.”
Other businesses that have decided to stay open late include The Olive Mill, Evan Lurie Gallery, Scotty’s, Mudbugs Cajun Café and others.
Jeff Troyer, general manager of Scotty’s (a business typically open as late as midnight), said Scotty’s will use the $100 to decorate the restaurant specifically for “Night in the District.”
