Free The Ghost and Mr. Moore by Ryan Field Page A

work?”
     
Dexter shrugged. “I guess so.” He’d always been involved with charity events and
     
fundraisers in Hollywood.
     
“I’m the president of the Provincetown Retail Business Association,” Elliot said.
     
“We are a new association, just formed this year. And we’re preparing to go to battle with
     
the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce. For the past twenty years, the chamber of
     
commerce has been holding an event on Memorial Day. It’s a huge fundraiser, everyone
     
in town looks forward to it, and the proceeds all go to helping people with AIDS. But the
     
new president of the chamber just made a motion to cancel this event and hold a largescale art festival on Commercial Street instead. But it’s not really an art festival. It’s more
     
like an outdoor flea market for art vendors and crafters selling their wares. This means
     
Commercial Street will be closed that weekend, and other vendors from all over the
     
country will be out there in the middle of the street, selling their merchandise and
     
competing with the local retail shop owners.”
     
Dexter tilted his head to the right. “Couldn’t the town have both functions, but on
     
different holidays?”
     
“All the major holidays already have planned events,” Elliot said. “The new
     
president thinks it’s time for a change on Memorial Day weekend and he’s fighting hard
     
to get it through. And he’s using the love of art as his excuse. The problem is that the
     
restaurants, bars, and hotels are all for the change. They want to stop the fundraiser and
     
do the art show. But the retail businesses are against it. Retail business in Provincetown is
     
hard enough as it is, but to have a flea market up and down Commercial Street with
     
vendors selling their junk is competition we don’t need. Not to mention the most
     
important factor: the fundraiser helps out a lot of people with AIDS. These people depend
     
on the money from this fundraiser.”
     
“What kind of fundraiser is this?” Dexter asked. He’d never been to Provincetown
     
on Memorial Day weekend.
     
“It’s a swimming event,” Elliot said. “Kind of like a walk-a-thon, but in the water.
     
The new chamber president doesn’t think it’s important enough for Provincetown. He
     
wants something that will bring, and I quote, ‘a more high-end clientele into town.’”
     
“I still don’t fully understand the problem,” Dexter said. “Why can’t you hold the
     
fundraiser on another weekend?” “First, because it’s tradition,” Elliot said. “We hold that event each year on
     
Memorial Day. The new president of the chamber is new in town and he has no right to
     
dictate and mess around with town tradition. Second, because this art festival will kill
     
business for the small retail shops in town on a very important business weekend. I’ve
     
seen how these things work in other towns. It’s murder for retail shops. Also, it’s causing
     
a rift between the retail businesses and the service businesses in town. Service businesses
     
don’t need help. Hotels, restaurants, and bars in this town don’t have to worry about
     
surviving. There will always be people spending money on shelter and booze. But try to
     
get them to buy a pair of jeans, or a shirt, or a book. It’s not easy in a rough economy or a
     
good economy. I’ve been in business for over five years and I’ve see more than a few
     
small retail shops fold in that time span.”
     
“Why can’t you have both events on the same weekend?” Dexter asked.
     
“If the town allowed us to do it, we’d think about it,” Elliot said. “But the
     
chamber president doesn’t want the fundraiser anymore, and the Board of Selectmen
     
thinks it would cause too much traffic.”
     
“I see,” Dexter said. He knew nothing about business, but what Elliot was saying
     
made sense. He knew that in his financial situation, he wouldn’t be spending