It appears the Oxford Downtown Development Authority (DDA) may be going into the Lone Ranger business.

Last week, the DDA board voted 8-0 to have members Rod Charles and Sue Oles discuss with DDA Executive Director Glenn Pape the various ways in which the organization could possibly become involved in the Lone Ranger Parade and Festival, held annually on the first Saturday in August.

They’re expected to report back to the board with some specifics in terms of potential methods of participation or contribution and the associated costs. Examples discussed during the meeting included providing advertising, insurance and stages for entertainment.

“I think that it’s time for the DDA to step up to the plate,” said Charles, founder and head of the Lone Ranger Posse, the all-volunteer group that organizes the event and does fund-raising for it.

Founded in 2013, the parade and festival celebrate the community’s unique connection to the Lone Ranger character via the late Brace Beemer, the Oxford Township resident with the booming voice who famously portrayed the fictional masked lawman of the Old West on coast-to-coast radio from 1941-54.

For the last five years, Charles said the Lone Ranger event has been “pretty popular,” drawing 5,000 to 7,000 people to town annually.

Given there’s currently a “crisis mentality” in the downtown due to the perception that there’s “a lot of empty storefronts,” Charles said the Lone Ranger event is even more important now because it’s “an opportunity to bring in people who don’t live” here “to see what a nice town we have.”

He explained the community has a lot of events that are “for Oxford people.”

“They’re good events, but (the Lone Ranger Parade and Festival) brings in people from other towns,” such as Romeo, Troy, Clarkston and Lake Orion, Charles said.

Charles recalled during the event’s second year, talking to a woman from neighboring Lake Orion who was complimentary of Oxford and noted she had “never been here before.”

Oles felt participating in the Lone Ranger event could help enhance the DDA’s reputation. “The DDA does not have a great reputation in this town,” she said.

Oles, who owns The Boulevard Boutique, noted “a lot of people have been coming in” her store “and saying it’s the DDA’s fault that we have all these empty buildings.”

She believes participating in the Lone Ranger event will at least give the appearance that the DDA is trying to help improve the situation. “I just think we have to start someplace,” Oles said.

DDA Board Member and village President Sue Bossardet expressed her concern about contributing tax dollars to an event that is sponsored by a private group, not the DDA.

Her fear was what if this “opens the door” for other private groups to request money from the DDA for their events.

But DDA Board Member Elgin Nichols didn’t believe the authority would be establishing a precedent by supporting an event that helps bolster downtown businesses.

“After all, that’s what we’re all about,” he said. “We’re here to support those businesses.”

Nichols remarked that during the Lone Ranger event, the streets are lined with people and the businesses are very busy.

“That’s the whole objective (of the DDA),” he said.

“I think that (the Lone Ranger Posse has) done a great job (of) putting this together. I think we need to support it,” Nichols noted.

Oles took it one step further and stated her belief that “everything” that happens in downtown Oxford “should have the DDA name tagged to it” to show “we are supporting this downtown.”

“I feel like I am sitting there and all of these stores around me are closing and it frightens me,” she said. “I don’t want this town to die.”

Oles noted the DDA’s support of events can take many forms besides monetary.

“I don’t think we have to give money to everybody,” she said.

DDA Board Member Nicole Ellsworth, who owns the 5-1 Diner, suggested that perhaps, the DDA could decide which events to support based on their staying power.

“As people prove themselves and their events go up year after year, then we get more involved and help more,” she said.

Ellsworth noted the Lone Ranger event has been going strong for five years now.

“It’s not just some fly-by-night thing that’s coming in,” she said.

“If you last five years and your event’s growing every year, then of course, we’re going to help you get more people out here,” Ellsworth said.

Ellsworth praised the Lone Ranger event’s success. “The kids absolutely love it and every year, it gets better,” she said. “There’s people that come from all over (to attend).”

Bossardet said if the DDA is going to support the Lone Ranger event, or any other events, it must set aside money in its budget for that purpose.

“That’s all I’m concerned about,” she said.

Bossardet noted the municipality is looking into recovering from event organizers the money it spends on providing extra resources for special events because “the village budget can no longer support the total donation of all the police services and all of the DPW services for some of these events.”

“It can’t just be the village taxpayers (footing the bill),” she explained. “There are some residents who are very upset that the village is using money (for) some of these events. They don’t want their (tax) dollars used for that.”

DDA Chairman Pete Scholz made it clear he doesn’t want organizing the Lone Ranger event to become something that gets dumped in the lap of the DDA executive director because he has enough to do.

“I don’t want any of this getting pushed off onto him,” Scholz said.

Nichols responded he doesn’t believe it’s the Lone Ranger Posse’s intent to have the DDA take over the event.

“I don’t think (Charles) wants that to happen and I don’t think any of the committee people do, either,” he said.

DDA Board Member Dorothy Johnston, who owns Johnston Photography, warned there must be a “delicate balance” when it comes to the DDA’s potential involvement in the Lone Ranger festivities, so it doesn’t appear the government entity is trying to take credit for the event or overshadow the Posse.

In addition to providing some sort of support for the Lone Ranger Festival, Charles noted it’s important for the DDA to have a physical presence at the event by manning a booth where people can obtain information and have their questions answered about the downtown, the upcoming M-24 construction project, the proposed streetscape, etc.

“That’s a huge thing that we can’t put a dollar sign to (in terms of value),” he said.