Oct 11, 2024
BEECH GROVE, Ind. — A small Indiana town of less than 15,000 people is going all in to try to attract as many Taylor Swift fans heading to Indianapolis as possible.  Swift's Eras Tour will bring more than 200,000 people to Indianapolis for three shows on the first three days of November. Hamilton County preparing for Taylor Swift weekend in November For those three days, Beech Grove will take on a new moniker - "Beech Grove Taylor's Version." ”Now, therefore be it resolved that I, the Mayor of Beech Grove, do hereby proclaim these days as Beech Grove Taylors Version," said Mayor James Coffman, reading from the official proclamation for the name change.  In all honesty, it was something he didn't think would actually happen. ”I thought, 'Oh yeah, sure, whatever. We'll rename the city. That's fine,'" Coffman said. "And fast forward a few months and it happened." The Swiftie mastermind behind it all is Beech Grove Clerk Treasurer Samantha Stratton. ”The second she announced the tour I was like, 'I need to get the mayor to rename the city,'" Stratton said.  Stratton said she didn't expect Coffman to go with it but after a little convincing, he was all in. ”The proclamation just encourages people to come here, to visit the city of Beech Grove, to spend their dollars here, bring their families here, bring their kids here and just have a good weekend to enjoy the festivities and all that Beech Grove has to offer," Stratton said. The proclamation Coffman is talking about is as official as it gets, fit with the city seal and mayor's signature at the bottom. It also has 16 Swift song references in it, too.  ”Because when it comes to community spirit, we are never ever getting back together with dull weekends," Coffman said, reading from the proclamation. On top of the name change, Coffman and Stratton are also leading the charge in getting local Main Street business owners involved. Coffman and Stratton both own Main Street businesses themselves, and Stratton said it just took a bit of convincing before getting other business owners on board.  ”People are very willing to lean in because they all see the benefit for the community, but they just needed a push and some inspiration," Stratton said.  Stratton will have four days of Taylor Swift events. Oct. 31 will be Taylor-ween, where people will get a discount for wearing a Taylor-themed costume. Friday will feature her Reputation album, Saturday is a day of festivities and Sunday will focus on Swift's Track Five. Stratton has seen the power of Taylor Swift fans in her own business. She has owned Silver Linings Coffeehouse for three years and started having Taylor Swift listening parties for local fans. From the beginning, she's seen a great response. ”We had to turn like 150 people away," Stratton said. "My shop's not very big, so it couldn't fit 150 people, but that was my first indication that if you do something Taylor Swift-themed, people will come." Brittany Spencer owns The Local Radish, a metaphysical store that also has a section dedicated to Taylor Swift merchandise made by artists across the country. ”We have literally filled the up like four or five times, so they really love this stuff," Spencer said. Admittedly, Spencer is a newer Taylor Swift fan. She's partnered with Stratton and Silver Linings Coffeehouse for a few Taylor Swift-themed events. ”We just sit down here and sing songs together, so it's beautiful to watch," Spencer said. Spencer is running special deals on her products at The Local Radish. Saturday night, her and Stratton will partner for a block party. They're hoping Swift fans, whether they're going to the concerts or not, will come out for the fun. ”People that weekend are going to be looking for a lot of fun and free things to do to celebrate her being in town," Stratton said. "And I think we’ll definitely get some people who have never thought to stop on Main Street before." Other participating businesses have specialty drinks and menu items, discounts, friendship bracelet-making stations and more.  ”I think we do have such a great dynamic here because it is all about helping each other," Spencer said. It's not all about the visitors, the Beech Grove leaders are also hoping they can attract more locals to the city. ”The more we can capitalize on these events as they come into town and remind people, 'Hey, Beech Grove is here. Come get your pasta, come get your flowers, come get some coffee,'" Stratton said. Indianapolis Zoo hosting Taylor Swift-inspired event Maybe, Swift herself will even notice "Beech Grove Taylor's Version." ”Hopefully, maybe, Tayor will see that and we're just trying to make her feel welcome and warm, the Midwest welcome," Spencer said. Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is expected to bring more than 200,000 people to Indianapolis. Visit Indy predicts 87% of those will be outside of central Indiana. ”If we can just get a small fraction of people to say, 'Hey, let's go check out this little city of Beech Grove,'" Coffman said. "Then it'll be successful." Once Nov. 4 hits, Beech Grove Taylor's version will return to its original name.
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