The Maple Avenue Plaza came to life Saturday afternoon.

A pre-teen boy was perched in “the chair” while friends sat on the edge of the bubbling fountain that — up until late last year — was as dry as a whistle for nearly 16 years unless it rained.

Nearby, their parents stood in the shade chatting during a brief interlude from lunch at Frank’s Downtown Cafe and their vehicles parked in front of San-Sha’s Sweets.

Two days later in the 300 block of West Yosemite, two older women took a break from their daily walk to sit in two other “chairs” where they giggled briefly like school girls.

Sidewalk seating in the form of benches — many incorporated with trellises — have been part of downtown since the makeover of $2.4 million makeover of 2004 that replaced street light standards from the early 1950s with pseudo antiquated street lights among other things.

But except during organized events such as street fairs, rarely has anyone opted to stop and “park” themselves on downtown outdoor seating until now.

It’s because downtown is getting a bit whimsical thanks to vibrant murals covering non-description blank walls, splashy art crosswalks, a lush community garden, a roll out of street planters, an arch across Main Street that starts shining at dusk often in multiple such as marking a high school’s homecoming week, vibrant art on utility boxes and four colorful oversized Adirondack chairs.

The chairs — the one on Maple is a deep dark blue, the two by the “Mural Alley” being dedicated Thursday facing Yosemite Avenue are a vibrant orange and purple while the super-sized chair by the library — all have “MANTECA” in giant white letters.

They were purchased for roughly $10,000 by City Manager Toni Lundgren using COVID relief funds that were not needed to cover costs and losses the city incurred during the pandemic or used to pay for basic needs such as street maintenance equipment and replacement police vehicles.

And while everyone is not a big fan of them, it is clearly helping cure downtown of what ails it — the perception it is not the place to be.

That positive impression the chairs and such create — along with new private sector shops, dining, and entertainment options — are what is slowly changing downtown as just a place you drive through on Main Street and Yosemite Avenue for most people.

And they are helping those that already do partake in downtown’s offerings to linger a bit longer.

That lingering is needed before some will look around and what other places there are to browse and patronize.

On Thursday, Sept. 17, at 5 p.m., the city is conducting a ribbon cutting for “Mural Alley” in the 300 block of West Yosemite Avenue.

It is where “The Wall” — the leftover of a 1980s fire that destroyed most of two adjoining buildings — stood until several years ago when the city tore it down.

Besides the murals and two Adirondack chairs accented with plants, the city installed “flower stem” light poles and strung clear lights across the area as they did in the 100 block of Maple Avenue.

The idea is to program small-scale community events in the space below those lights and adjacent to the murals such as organized roller skating events.

Then, after the ribbon cutting, the Manteca Recreation’s popular Music on Maple gets underway at 6 p.m. in the 100 block of Maple with live music, food trucks, beer garden, activities, and vendors.

It’s there that you will find the deep dark blue Adirondack chair at the Maple Avenue Plaza also known by some as the Rotary Plaza.

Try out the chair.

You might agree it’s a perfect fit for what downtown can be as a place to gather with family and friends for good times whether it is at the Deaf Puppy, Brethren Brewery, The Veranda Events Center or scores of other places.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com