Dawson’s owner and Downtown Dixon Business Association President Jill Orr discusses new event dates with associate member Kay Cayler, left, and Vice-President Angela Meisenheimer, right. Board members Rebecca Robinson and Bonna Stratton also attended. Photo by Kendall Brown

DIXON, CA (MPG) - The Downtown Dixon Business Association hosted its first meeting of 2025 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. Feb. 6 at Dawson’s Bar & Grill, 105 N. First St.

Dawson’s owner and Downtown Dixon Business Association President Jill Orr led attendees in the Pledge of Allegiance before beginning the discussion.

Vice-President Angela Meisenheimer of Remark Realty attended but Secretary/Treasurer Christina Cerna of Uptown Collective was unavailable. New board members include Tony Avila of Avila Flooring, Karstin Hickerson of Almond Tree Mortgage, Rebecca Robinson of Uptown Collective, Bonna Stratton of Century 21 Realty and Kay Cayler, former councilwoman and 2011 Citizen of the Year winner, acting as an associate member.

In old business, the Christmas Tree Lighting Festival on Dec. 5 was successful, being the largest tree lighting festival that the organization has hosted. Due to the volume of attendeeds, the Downtown Dixon Business Association intends to formulate a meeting with the Dixon Police Department and Dixon Fire Department to shut certain streets down next festival to allow for better traffic flow and to address safety concerns.

Outside of a brief discussion on adding new flowers to the planters around the downtown, which is handled directly by the Downtown Dixon Business Association and will show results around May, several future event dates and times were confirmed by the organization. 

Halloween Hunt is from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 31, the Holiday Open House is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 22 and the Christmas Tree Lighting Festival is from 4 to 9 p.m., Dec. 4.

The Art and Wine Stroll from 4 to 8 p.m. Aug. 23 and the Brewski Fest from 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 18 might be affected by the passing of Senate Bill 969. As of Jan. 1, local governments in California can designate “entertainment zones,” allowing the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages within these areas.

From June to September, the Farmer’s Market will make its return but most likely as a pop-up event. Dates are still being determined.

Railroad Days will also be skipped in 2025 due to a booking conflict with the primary vendor.

Finally, the group held an open round table discussion, the core of which was the safety and comfort of Downtown Dixon’s patrons. Parking in particular is an issue that Orr and the group hope to address.

“We would like to make people aware that our patrons need proper access to our businesses,” Orr said. “We want our customers to get in comfortably and help downtown thrive. Parking is regularly available on E. B Street, N. Second Street, N. Jefferson Street, S. Jackson Street and E. Mayes Street.”

The Downtown Dixon Business Association’s next meeting will be March 6. The time and location have not been confirmed. For more information, visit downtowndixonca.com.