By Rhys Baker
Cooperation has led the way to beautiful music in downtown Clay Center. In 2017 students from Kansas State University started a revitalization plan for Clay Center as a school project. The study concluded that adding murals, wayfinding signage, downtown music, bump outs, and closing unused alleys would make downtown Clay Center a place where people want to gather. In 2020, Covid derailed a majority of those plans. In 2021, when Grow Clay County Executive Director Natalie Muruato arrived, Clay Countians had already started A Mural Movement, creating murals throughout Clay County. Wayfinding signage was next on the list to complete, which was given the go-ahead through a trails grant. Muruato, a self-proclaimed music lover, decided music for downtown would be one of her next projects.
Muruato says she started by “getting on the horn” and fundraising, researching companies that manufacture music systems, and finally found a one-man operation willing to put Grow Clay County on their waiting list. Months later Muruato found out the company was closing shop as the founder had health problems. Alternative systems were double or almost triple the price, leaving the project at a standstill. Months later she called to check on the man’s health and found him feeling better and beginning to manufacture again. A wireless sample was sent to Clay Center for testing.
The sample did not work. Between law enforcement and emergency communications, truck traffic from Highway 24, and radio signals from water meters, the signal interference was too great. An overall wireless system was not an option. Muruato had to once again, begin again, in her search for a manufacturer. This search led to appeals for additional funding as the new wired system would cost $40,000 to install. Contributions of $10K from the City of Clay Center, $2K from Clay County, $4K from the dissolved Clay Center Business Association, $13K from the Clay Center Community Improvement Foundation, and approximately $11k from private donors added up to fund the installation.
The obstacles didn’t stop with funding. The wired system needed infrastructure around the Clay County Courthouse square to make it all work. When new sidewalk lights were installed in the early 2000s, conduit was cut during the installation. However, Clay County, The City of Clay Center, and Public Utilities worked together to remedy this and install the three groups of directional speakers on city light poles around the Clay County Courthouse square. The groups of speakers are located mid-block on the north, west, and south sides of the square.
Now that the speakers are installed, Muruato says the background music in downtown Clay Center “gives one a sense of enchanting nostalgia…I hope when others come visit to see our murals, hear the music, and shop in our local stores, it gives them that feeling and they want to come back to Clay Center over and over, creating new experiences.”
Grow Clay County is also considering adding sponsorship messages to the music, as there is no budget for the music subscription service they are using. Additionally, there is not a set schedule for music, as many events happen on the courthouse square, for example, “We do not want to compete with the bluegrass band at the weekly farmers market.” Muruato added. The system also has a microphone to use for parades and events such as Relay For Life, so all gathered on the courthouse square would be able to hear announcements. Grow Clay County will also accept music requests and has plans for holiday music.
