Merry Main Street will be held over the course of four weekends on Block 34, a city-owned block located east of the Stillwater Community Center in downtown Stillwater. The shops, which will be housed in climate-controlled, all-weather, geodesic dome-style tents, will be open from Thursday through Sunday beginning the day after Thanksgiving.

Four tents will be available for retailers, with one reserved for food and beverage.

Business owner Shannon Williams and City Councilor Alane Zannotti have partnered on the project and say they are donating their time to bringing a new shopping experience to downtown Stillwater.

The event will include concessions, family activities and a Christmas tree lot where people can have the experience of picking out their own live trees.

When Williams and Zannotti pitched their idea to the Stillwater City Council in May, they said they hoped to connect the event on Block 34 to the downtown merchants located east of Husband Street by offering carriage rides through downtown and placing mobile murals that would bridge the two areas.

The Downtown Merchants Association will also be sponsoring musical entertainment and a Santa village at Chris Salmon Plaza, located at 9th Avenue and Main Street.

Wandering carolers and special holiday displays in store windows will also encourage people to explore the area, they said. Stores are being encouraged to have create elaborate, New York-style holiday window displays and have them in place by Nov. 23.

Each Merry Main Street vendor will be allowed to set up for one weekend only to ensure there is a variety of offerings and to give more vendors the opportunity to participate.

The City of Stillwater has allocated $125,000 to the event, including $70,000 to purchase five tents, which can be used for other events throughout the year.