Gov. Martin O’Malley liked what he saw Friday on Westminster’s Main Street.

“This is the best Main Street in Maryland,” he said.

O’Malley’s tour was part of his Capital For a Day program where he and his cabinet conducts business in the city while proclaiming it as the state’s capital for the day.

O’Malley started his tour with Mayor Tom Ferguson at Longwell Avenue at about 12:30 p.m. beside the old post office. From there, he ducked into stores, shook hands, heard stories and even played a few licks on the guitar and attended a Peep Show.

Ferguson explained to O’Malley some of the city’s history and highlights, including the Westminster Clock Tower that’s “right twice a day.”

The city has benefited greatly from state programs as Westminster has received $3 million over a 10-year period for Main Street improvements, O’Malley said.

One of O’Malley’s first stops was in the Hidden Pearl boutique where owner Margo Miller asked the governor if there’s any state program to help her pay for advertising.

“No one knows that I’m here because of advertising, and we can’t afford to do it,” Miller told O’Malley. “If there’s someway to get dollars to advertise for us and let people that Main Street is vibrant and alive, that would go far.”

Miller had moved her business last year from Locust Lane onto Main Street to give her store more visibility, she said after the governor left. Miller said she’s worried that she might go out of business by the summer.

O’Malley said the state doesn’t typically give advertising money to businesses, but he asked Department of Housing and Community Development Sec. Ray Skinner if there’s a way to create a Web marketing program through the state’ Main Street Maryland program that Skinner’s department oversees.

The program, which Westminster is a part of, provides grant opportunities and strategies that aim to boost tourism and Main Street business.

Skinner said Main Street Maryland has a joint-advertising program and thought there could be a way to use the Web to market businesses together.

O’Malley continued his way talking to passerbys, greeting them with “Hi, I’m Martin.”

O’Malley also saw the struggling side of life in Westminster, including the homeless. O’Malley listened to people’s stories and staff took down information so the state Social Services Administration could see how they could be help.

Some folks were surprised to see O’Malley in Westminster.

“That’s the one on TV, isn’t it?” said Sterling Erb of Westminster. “I can’t believe it.”

Not everyone was a fan of the governor’s visit. A group of about five protestors following the governor protesting the state’s $13.8 billion budget, urging O’Malley to returning federal stimulus money and to enforce immigration laws.

Barbara Fink of Westminster took issue with several issues, including the stimulus package.

“The stimulus package is a short-term solution to long-term problems, and when the money is used up from the stimulus package,” she said while on the sidewalk, waiting for cars to honk in agreement. “It’s going to create a tremendous burden on the citizens to continue the programs that were started.”

O’Malley, known for his O’Malley’s March band, had a small fan base inside Coffey’s Music.

The governor sat down while owner Bob Coffey handed him a limited edition Taylor guitar to play a few bars from Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues” and then playing bits of Don McLean’s “American Pie” on a Dean 12-string.

“See if that’s in tune,” Coffey said.

“That’s OK. If they’re perfectly in tune, then it’s not folk music,” O’Malley jibbed.

Coffey lobbied for O’Malley to come back and open for his store’s lunchtime concert series in June.

Doing his part to stimulate downtown, the governor bought a capo from Coffey’s Music. Capos are plastic clips placed on frets to change the pitch of open strings. Also, in exchange for a pick, O’Malley gave Coffey a copy of his band’s album “Galway Races.”

O’Malley wrapped up his Main Street tour with a stop at Carroll Arts Center’s Peep Show, which includes art made out of the Easter marshmallow treats, Peeps.

“This is my first Peep Show,” the governor joked.

Inside he toured the exhibits and the former Baltimore mayor admired a prom dress made of Peeps.

“This is very Baltimore,” he said.

Arts Center Executive Director Sandy Oxx also presented O’Malley a key to Westminster, made out of Peeps, naturally.

From there, O’Malley left in a black SUV to attend a cabinet meeting at McDaniel College.

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