Whatever happened to the days of Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening Post, when picture-perfect summers and community members flocked together around cute Main Street stores while the town musicians played in the background?

Ames has made an attempt to reconnect with those memories with the new summer development “Tune In To Main Street.”

The event happens in downtown Ames from 5 to 7 p.m. each Thursday from tonight until Sept. 30.

Visitors can check out the farmers’ market for fresh and unique offerings. They can take a stroll and peruse the special promotions and events by retailers. Or, they can catch the newest musical act of the week. The Ames Municipal Band already plays at Bandshell Park each Thursday. All of these events are free and open to the public.

Emily Finch, cultural coordinator for the Ames Community Arts Council, said this is the first major event sponsored by the Main Street Cultural District.

“The event is designed to cross-promote the farmers’ market, downtown retailers and the Ames Municipal Band,” Finch said. “It also gives the musical acts a chance to attract new fans and spread their name.”

The farmers’ market offers many goods grown and made locally. Community members looking for fresh and wholesome goods will find items such as vegetables and fruits or jams and breads.

Downtown businesses also have their own promotions and specials, Finch said.

“Over 30 to 40 downtown businesses are participating,” Finch says. “For example, KASI [radio] does live broadcasts, while Wells Fargo gives away free popcorn. The Savvy Shopper has free ice cream, and Gallery 319 has skits by mimes and caricature drawings.”

The musical act of the week is held at the Tom Evans Plaza. The musicians are mostly local, hailing from the Des Moines and Ames areas, Finch said.

Finally, the event is wrapped up every Thursday night with a concert by the Ames Municipal Band at the Bandshell.

Finch said a 7 p.m. pre-show precedes each 7:30 p.m. show. The municipal band concerts stop at the end of July, when renovations are scheduled to be made to the Bandshell.

The main goal of “Tune In To Main Street” is to attract people to visit downtown Ames, Finch said. She said the entire summer is fully booked with a variety of bands.

So far, the response to the event has been good, Finch said.

“Retailers are happy because more people are visiting the area, the bands are able to get their names out there, and the community has something to do,” Finch said. “We’ve had about 100 people visit per night.”

Finch keeps her sights set high.

“I think Ames really needs a festival to call its own,” Finch said. “I’m hoping ‘Tune In To Main Street’ can be that. I really want to see it continue, expand and get better and better.”