This year's theme for the Holiday Season in Staunton is "Rock and Roll," which I think is pretty awesome since I'm in a rock and roll band. Storefronts downtown are decorating in the theme, so the whole town has guitars and records in every window. It's sweet.Mostly, people have been thinking 1950's rock and roll, and I think that's funny because every time someone mentions the fifties, I think of Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran and maybe Buddy Holly. Everyone else thinks of Elvis, I guess. Elvis is everywhere. And I love Elvis. But Elvis is not the only thing going, people. Neither is the fifties. Elvis had his biggest commercial successes in the sixties, BTW.
Marden Press installed a John and Yoko with a little Christmas lyric by the duo. Everyone loves John Lennon. Shanti Yoga put a giant picture of Kurt Cobain in the their window; nice! But my favorite is David Bowie in the Baja Bean's back office window. I don't even know if this was part of the holiday decorations or just there because someone likes David Bowie in a suit.
I love this about Staunton. We have an organization called SDDA that helps businesses downtown market their services and work cooperatively with one another and the city and its departments. Business development is an extremely important component of our community. This rock and roll holiday theme is one of those times when everyone has fun, and I hope people come to Staunton to enjoy our huge parade and the windows (most are more elaborate than the ones I've pictured here). . . and rock and roll.
I want to post more pics of the windows in Staunton. Maybe you'll want to start a business here.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the theme appeals to younger people at all, especially the way that Shanti and others handles it? I think we need to do more to make downtown interesting for the under-40 crowd and give younger people a better reason to come down there.
ReplyDeleteI think you're right, especially with Elvis, but yeah Shanti had Kurt Cobain, and I think that's great. Where are the rockers of today though?
ReplyDeleteMaybe people like the aesthetic of old dead rockers more than living ones. Young people coming downtown... hmm. Have to think more about that one.