Downtown St. Joseph celebrating small businesses with their March Mannequin event

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Making plans for your Friday? Tonight, might be the time to head to Downtown St. Joseph! St. Joseph Today along with partnering businesses is putting on their March Mannequin event. The event was canceled last year due to the pandemic. Now, the community is excited for the tradition to prevail, as well as businesses hoping to attract further support.

Storefronts come alive for the night as volunteers pose perfectly still, like mannequins. This year’s theme is night at the museum. But what is an event without a little competition? Attendees can vote for their favorite window here. The top three winners will be announced on the St. Joseph Today Facebook Page Monday morning. Mary Kay Hylton with HarborTown Interiors has been participating in the event for the past 8 years, and while posing does not get any easier, she says people’s reactions make it worth it!

“The reaction of the people and the number of people that show up to watch is absolutely amazing. I can look over the heads of people and look down at the intersections of town they block off the streets, so people are just milling around every place, and it really is quite fun in that respect,” says Hylton.

The Toy Company has been a staple to St. Jo’s for the past 35 years, and have been participating in March Mannequin every year. Andy Vescolani, co-owner of the Toy Company, tells us the event brings people downtown.

“We are excited I mean just the amount of work that goes into these events. St. Jo today does a heck of a job just kind of giving back to the community in a way they have something to be excited about! And it gives them another reason to come downtown and enjoy the festivities and the other retail stores around here and the restaurants for that matter now that we got them back open,” says Vescolani.

Further information about the event can be found here.