Tom Price is a man on a mission. He's trying to help Downtown Merced flourish by making residents aware of all it has to offer.
Price is the publisher of the D Magazine, which he started last year as a way to highlight downtown businesses and events. Then when he heard the city was looking for someone to run SummerFest, he submitted a proposal and was awarded the contract.
Maria Mendoza, who organized SummerFest last year, says city staff members needed to get back to focusing on core services, so they searched for a community organizer who could continue the mission of attracting people to the growing downtown.
"There are 39 new businesses within the last year and a half that have opened up in downtown, not necessarily all retail but people are coming back into downtown and re-establishing themselves here," said Mendoza.
Scott McAllister says he's been pleasantly surprised by how well his comic book store has done since opening in January, and he's hoping SummerFest will bring in even more business.
"We're hoping to get this area booming by the end of the summer," said McAllister.
But big crowds can also cause security concerns. During last month's cap n town festival in downtown, a U.C. Merced student was injured in a shooting.
SummerFest runs from 6pm to 9pm every Thursday night through September 2nd.