Sun shines on Tuam as Smurf Day Out draws a huge crowd

By JACQUELINE HOGGE UP TO 1,000 children and their parents took to the streets of Tuam over the weekend to celebrate A Smurf Day Out in a bid to breathe life back into the town centre. The sun shone amid blue skies for the day of free activities and promotions organised by Tuam Chamber of Commerce as part of its Turn to Tuam marketing campaign. The highlight of the day was a Smurf parade through the town, led by a brass band and an open-top car carrying Papa Smurf and his Smurfettes, with hundreds of blue-faced children following behind.[private] Blue balloons, blue ice-cream and even blue bouncy castles were the highlight of the day for the town's younger citizens, with people of all ages enjoying the atmosphere generated by the event. Chamber President Ronan Glynn said the event had surpassed everyone's expectations and had given the town a much-needed boost. 'It's not just about bringing business back into the town, which is an obvious goal, but it's as important if not more so to bring life back into the town centre,' he said. 'Saturday's success goes to show that if you give people something to come in for, they will show up and support business and community events, and that is why we have two more family fun days planned between now and the end of the year.' The event generated an increased spend in many shops throughout the town, while all promotions and activities were free. 'The social element of Saturday was probably more important than the economic boost it gave the town, as parents were able to bring their children into town and be part of something where they didn't have to spend money to be involved,' added Ronan. 'It's part of a bigger picture to get people back into realising all that Tuam has to offer and that is something we're featuring in our advertising campaign, that lists just some of the many benefits to shopping in Tuam. 'The billboard on the N17 has generated a lot of talk and we're definitely getting our message across in informing people of all that Tuam has to offer.' Mark Giblin, Manager of AIB Tuam, who came up with the idea of A Smurf Day Out, admitted the fine weather had played a huge part in Saturday's success. 'We're very happy with how it turned out, given the amount of work put in over the past few months by everyone involved,' he said. 'The businesses really pulled together and we totted up the total amount of discounts available on the day and it came in at over €5,000. 'Most shops and businesses got into the spirit, offering special Smurf discounts or blue products such as ice-cream and milkshakes, while others had staff dressed as Smurfs for the day so it goes to show what can be achieved when everyone works together. 'All things considered, it was a great success and hopefully it will spur people on to do more to continue to promote the town.'[/private]