Last weekend, Emporia Main Street in Kansas celebrated with students from Emporia State University and Flint Hills Technical College at their annual Welcome Back Student Block Party. The event brought new and returning students into the heart of the downtown and introduced them to local businesses, organizations, and opportunities for students. It included a scavenger hunt, free food, a dunk tank, games, and door prizes.

Students were encouraged to visit as many booths as possible—and meet local business owners—through a passport program. Each booth would add a stamp to the visitor’s passport, and completed passports were submitted for the chance to win a prize. Passports were also an opportunity to collect participants contact information to help Emporia Main Street connect with the student community.

Emporia Main Street has hosted the event for more than 20 years. “We feel that the Welcome Back Block Party is a great way to introduce students to our community,” said Jessica Buchholz, Community Development Coordinator. “We have found that young consumers can sometimes be hesitant to walk into a new storefront (not knowing what to expect) but given the opportunity to do it with others or incorporating it with an event makes them more at ease and willing to make a return visit.” The format shifted during the pandemic to meet public health requirements, and Emporia was excited to bring back the traditional format this year. It ended up being a huge success – the largest block party in the organization’s history!

Next up: Emporia is surveying businesses owners to measure the impact of the event. “We are interested if they choose to set up a booth on the street or if they remained in their business, what type of interactions they had with students, and if they have seen any residual customer traffic since the event,” said Buchholz.

Emporia Main Street encourages other organizations to host similar events. “We are firm believers that downtown is for everyone,” said Buchholz. “This event is a great way to roll out the red carpet to a diverse student body!” She recommends working with universities and colleges as promotional partners to draw the students downtown, and helping businesses craft fun, interactive experiences that will keep attendees engaged. “Students over the past couple of years have endured some socialization constraints, and we need to work extra hard to get them out of their comfort zone and into unique places,” said Buchholz.