ESCANABA –If things go as planned, the social district in Escanaba could go into effect as soon as next month.

One of the aims for the LogJam Music Festival of June 28 is for it to be a social district event, meaning that attendees would be able to purchase alcoholic beverages from nearby establishments and consume them outdoors at the festival, which will be located on Ludington Street between 10th and 12th Streets.

Both the City of Escanaba and the State of Michigan have approved a management plan for the social district, but before it can actually be utilized, participating businesses must obtain an additional license from the Liquor Control Commission, and signage with rules and boundaries must be posted throughout the district and within establishments.

“The signs are printed,” announced Downtown Development Authority (DDA) Director Craig Woerpel at the board’s May 22 meeting. “We have 100 signs that are going to be posted throughout the downtown, and luckily, a lot of them will be put on existing posts or locations, but we are ordering 28 or 30 poles.”

Woerpel also said that three of the 14 alcohol-serving establishments within the 22-block social district (along Ludington Street from Lincoln Road to just beyond the Municipal Dock) have signed up so far, and that two of those are in the area of LogJam.

Once operational, the social district would be in effect from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Only beverages purchased from participating establishments and marked with the necessary logos may be consumed within the boundaries; outside alcohol is not permitted.

Whether or not the process is complete by June 28, the LogJam Music Festival will go on. It’s a first for Escanaba and has garnered attention for its unique nature — in addition to ten live performances by musical artists, there will be a celebration of the area’s timber history with the Great Lakes Timber Show; a visiting chainsaw sculptor; and competitive events that involve birling, time trials for teams of two to roll a log up and down the block, and something called a “stump stomp.”