Pokémon set to flood Merced Downtown Street Faire

The Merced Downtown Street Faire will try to take advantage of the popularity of the “Pokémon Go” mobile game by incorporating it into the weekly gathering, according to the organizer.

The Street Faire is held from 5-10 p.m. Thursdays in and around Bob Hart Square, which is at Main and Canal streets.

The free mobile app is an interactive game that forces players to travel outside their homes to catch virtual “pocket monsters” known as Pokémon. Players’ collected Pokémon evolve and battle with those of other real-life players.

“What we’re going to do is pay for the luring of the creatures,” organizer Bangon Emanivong told the Sun-Star on Monday.

The game allows people, such as the Street Faire organizers, to pay for lures that could flood downtown with the imaginary creatures.

Since the game was released this month, Courthouse Park in Merced has been filled with hundreds of players daily. Emanivong said she hopes the Street Faire could benefit from some of that attention.

This week’s fair marks the halfway point in the weekly offering. Last week’s event drew an estimated 700 visitors, she said, which benefited from Savannah Silven, a Merced woman who gave away 25 backpacks and school supplies to children.

“Overall, I feel like it’s going really, really well,” she said. “No drama, no issues.”

There are also a number of Pokéstops, where players can pick up prizes, in the area of Bob Hart Square, including at the tile mosaic in the square, the Merced Multicultural Arts Center and at the pirate figure outside At the Pier, to name a few.

Main Street between K and M streets, as well as Canal Street south of 18th Street, will be closed during the Merced Downtown Street Faire.

There are more themed nights planned this year, including a pirate version of the Street Faire on Aug. 18, which also is set to include a bicycle giveaway, Emanivong said.

The final Street Faire of the year will be Sept. 1, when Bob Hart Square will be transformed into a Polynesian party. For more information, look for “Merced Downtown Street Faire” on Facebook.

This story was originally published July 25, 2016 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Pokémon set to flood Merced Downtown Street Faire."