PHOTO PROVIDED Bonnie Hannis of the Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven gives a Rotary pen to guest speaker Rick Schulze, manager of Downtown Lock Haven, Inc.

LOCK HAVEN — Can local stores and businesses dream of economic vitality? Rick Schulze says yes.

That’s part of the vision the Downtown Lock Haven, Inc. manager presented to members of the Rotary Club of Downtown Lock Haven when he spoke to them on Tuesday, April 7.

He asked the Rotarians to share their memories of the downtown and heard about Sidewalk Sales Days, clothing stores, festivals and parades.

Schulze then talked about his hopes and plans for the commercial district, including more of the new eagle statues and other kinds of public art, display boards around the city, more activity on the levee and events focused on the river.

Stores are seeing reduced revenue now because of higher prices, and events that bring people downtown can bring them more customers. The Roxy plans to show a teen documentary in May, and the annual Best of Clinton County Celebration is slated for Saturday, June 13.

The downtown manager would like to see an outdoor sports store open, and see groups form to create new events featuring paddle boats, kayaks sculling and more.

Cleaning up the alleys would also give stores a boost, he said.

He also reported a businessman toured the Masonic Temple recently with an eye to setting up small shops inside, which could be a hopeful sign.

Businesses can help themselves by joining in promotions for holidays. A Rotarian suggested a promotion centered on teachers and education.