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Main Street Blog

UrbanMain at the 2019 Main Street Now Conference

April 16, 2019 | UrbanMain at the 2019 Main Street Now Conference | Two years after the UrbanMain Network launched in Seattle, neighborhood commercial district revitalization practitioners returned to the Emerald City for the 2019 Main Street Now Conference from March 25 - 27. The conference featured a stellar lineup of sessions geared toward urban revitalization professionals, including eight education sessions in the UrbanMain track, as well as general sessions and plenaries that highlighted issues pertinent to urban commercial districts.  Each session offered a variety of helpful tips and resources, but a few key takeaways emerged that are relevant to communities ...
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Community Spotlight: Crowdfunding Campaign Launched for Hoop Skirt Alley Project in Charlevoix, Michigan

April 12, 2019 | Community Spotlight: Crowdfunding Campaign Launched for Hoop Skirt Alley Project in Charlevoix, Michigan An alleyway in downtown Charlevoix will be transformed into an interactive space, improving walkability and adding to the vibrancy of town through a new crowdfunding campaign . If the campaign reaches its crowdfunding goal of $6,000 by April 30, 2019, the project will win a matching grant with funds made possible by the MEDC’s Public Spaces Community Places program. The campaign is being offered through Michigan-based crowdfunding platform Patronicity.  “Alleys are often an uncomfortable means to a destination in our downtowns, but ...
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Preview Webinar: New National Main Street Center Design Services

April 12, 2019 | Preview: New National Main Street Center Design Services The physical characteristics of a Main Street—the older and historic structures that make up the built environment, the infrastructure that facilitates the flow of people, the public spaces that serve as community gathering spots—all contribute to what attracts people to a place, inviting them to visit, set up shop, or call it home. How do communities achieve quality design? The answer is in the people themselves. When a community puts people first, good design follows. To support commercial revitalization professionals in their work to achieve people-centered districts, the National ...
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Activating the Main Street Approach through Placemaking

April 9, 2019 | Activating the Main Street Approach through Placemaking |   By Michael Wagler, Main Street Iowa  Photo credit: Dubuque Main Street Using small-scale placemaking to drive incremental implementation of your local Main Street effort is an effective way to empower community members and create a more action-oriented program. In this week’s Main Spotlight, Main Street Iowa Coordinator Michael Wagler provides strategies on how to get started, offers inspiring case stories of programs across the state that are demonstrating impact and change through placemaking activities, and outlines tips for creating an action-oriented culture.  Read it ...
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Webinar Series Announcement: Main Street Now Conference Rewind

April 8, 2019 | Webinar Series Announcement: Main Street Now Conference Rewind  The 2019 Main Street Now Conference has come and gone, but the learning continues! If you missed any key content in Seattle, join some of our most popular sessions for an online “rewind.” Check out the webinar schedule below and register today.  Can’t make it live? Sign up for the session and you will be alerted when a recording becomes available. Webinar Series April 17th at 1:00pm CT – Brand Score: Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Messaging. Featuring Ben Muldrow, Arnett Muldrow & Associates This crash course allows for you to self-score your community's ...
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Deadline Approaching for Partners in Preservation 2019

April 5, 2019 | Deadline Approaching for Partners in Preservation 2019  Photo credit: The Women’s Building in San Francisco, California (c) Erin Sullivan   The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Main Street America, and American Express are working together to bring $2 million in preservation funding to projects on America’s Main Streets through a robust campaign that will raise awareness of the work being done across the country to revitalize commercial districts in small towns, mid-sized cities, and urban centers. The public will be engaged in an online and offline participation campaign to help determine the winning projects. This year, ...
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Community Spotlight: Athens, Alabama

April 4, 2019 | Community Spotlight: Athens, Alabama  Athens Main Street places rocking chairs painted by local artists around their downtown area to encourage visitors to linger longer and enjoy shops and restaurants. The rocking chairs are mobile and are strategically placed in certain areas around the district, such as pop-up parks and parklets. The Main Street organization hosts several events each year and utilizes these rockers as a fun way to encourage visitors to "Sit a Spell" and enjoy what their downtown has to offer. This project enabled Athens Main Street to promote tourism and build a stronger, more united community throughout its downtown ...
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Congratulations to the 2019 Main Street America Revitalization Professional Recipients

April 4, 2019 | Congratulations to the 2019 Main Street America Revitalization Professional Recipients  Recipients of the Main Street America Revitalization Professional credential were honored last week at the 2019 Main Street Now Conference in Seattle, WA. Photo credit:  Otto Greule At the 2019 Main Street Now Conference, the Main Street America Institute (MSAI) announced the third cohort of recipients of  the Main Street America Revitalization Professional (MSARP) credential. These eight individuals have dedicated themselves to professional development through the MSAI’s online and in-person coursework over the past two years. With the completion ...
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Announcing the 2019 Great American Main Street Award Winners

March 25, 2019 | National Main Street Center | Announcing the 2019 Great American Main Street Award Winners The National Main Street Center announced Alberta Main Street in Portland, Oregon; Wausau River District in Wausau, Wisconsin; and Wheeling Heritage in Wheeling, West Virginia, as the 2019 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) winners. GAMSA is the nation’s top award for communities that have excelled in comprehensive preservation-based downtown revitalization. The winners were announced at the National Main Streets Center’s annual conference in Seattle, Washington. “This year’s winners are proof that our commercial district revitalization approach ...
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2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Wheeling, West Virginia

March 22, 2019 | 2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Wheeling, West Virginia  Wheeling Heritage • Wheeling, West Virginia Year Founded: 2015 | Population: 27,758 | Square Blocks in Commercial District: 32 Wheeling’s Centre Market revolves around its two market houses, with the 1853 structure being the oldest cast iron market house in the country. The Market is home to a variety of unique local shops and restaurants. Photo credit: Ben Muldrow "Our work at Wheeling Heritage focuses on supporting the efforts that link our strong sense of place to the community's current needs. Through programs that create platforms for public ...
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2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: San Marcos, Texas

March 21, 2019 | 2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: San Marcos, Texas  In a few days, we’ll announce the three winners of the 2019 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) at the   Main Street Now Conference   in Seattle, Washington. In anticipation of the GAMSA reveal, we’re highlighting each of the 10 GAMSA semi-finalists on our blog,   Facebook ,   Twitter , and   Instagram   every day until the #NOW19 conference. Semi-finalists are selected by a national jury of community development professionals and leaders in the fields of economic development and historic preservation. These communities exemplify the power of the Main ...
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2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Evanston, Wyoming

March 20, 2019 | 2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Evanston, Wyoming  In a few days, we’ll announce the three winners of the 2019 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) at the   Main Street Now Conference   in Seattle, Washington. In anticipation of the GAMSA reveal, we’re highlighting each of the 10 GAMSA semi-finalists on our blog,   Facebook ,   Twitter , and   Instagram   every day until the #NOW19 conference. Semi-finalists are selected by a national jury of community development professionals and leaders in the fields of economic development and historic preservation. These communities exemplify the power of the Main ...
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Submit a Nomination for Partners in Preservation: Main Streets

March 19, 2019 |  Submit a Nomination for Partners in Preservation: Main Streets  The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Main Street America, and American Express are working together to bring $2 million in preservation funding to projects on America’s Main Streets through a robust campaign that will raise awareness of the work being done across the country to revitalize commercial districts in small towns, mid-sized cities, and urban centers. The public will be engaged in an online and offline participation campaign to help determine the winning projects. This year, to mark the upcoming 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment in 2020, ...
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2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Alberta Main Street, Portland, Oregon

March 19, 2019 | 2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Alberta Main Street, Portland, Oregon  In a week, we’ll announce the three winners of the 2019 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) at the   Main Street Now Conference   in Seattle, Washington. In anticipation of the GAMSA reveal, we’re highlighting each of the 10 GAMSA semi-finalists on our blog,   Facebook ,   Twitter , and   Instagram   every day until the #NOW19 conference. Semi-finalists are selected by a national jury of community development professionals and leaders in the fields of economic development and historic preservation. These communities exemplify the power ...
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Seattle Welcomes You

March 19, 2019 | Seattle Welcomes You! The 2019 Main Street Now Conference is just days away. To get you ready, we compiled a list of need-to-know information including last-minute tips, registration details, where to eat, and how to use the MSN2019 app.  Getting Around You’ve arrived! If you flew in to SeaTac Airport, the easiest and most cost-effective way of getting from the airport to downtown Seattle is via the Link Light Rail . There is a well-signed station right there at the airport. You can buy your ticket at a kiosk before you go up the escalator to the platform. Take the light rail north (in the direction of University of Washington) and get ...
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2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Ellensburg, Washington

March 18, 2019 | 2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Ellensburg, Washington  In a week, we’ll announce the three winners of the 2019 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) at the   Main Street Now Conference   in Seattle, Washington. In anticipation of the GAMSA reveal, we’re highlighting each of the 10 GAMSA semi-finalists on our blog,   Facebook ,   Twitter , and   Instagram   every day until the #NOW19 conference. Semi-finalists are selected by a national jury of community development professionals and leaders in the fields of economic development and historic preservation. These communities exemplify the power of the Main ...
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2019 Main Street Now Conference: Last Chance to Register Online

March 14, 2019 |  2019 Main Street Now Conference: Last Chance to Register Online  Join your fellow commercial district revitalization professionals in Seattle for Main Street Now on March 25-27.  We will explore Main Street programs from the inside out, centering on the hard-work of the staff and board, transformative external partnerships, and the myriad of ways in which communities come together on Main Streets. With beautiful Seattle and its surrounding communities as our living laboratory, Main Street Now will leave you feeling inspired and equipped with solutions to help you in your work.  We encourage you to take advantage of the early-bird, member ...
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2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Chillicothe, Missouri

March 15, 2019 | 2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Chillicothe, Missouri  In just a few weeks, we’ll announce the three winners of the 2019 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) at the   Main Street Now Conference   in Seattle, Washington. In anticipation of the GAMSA reveal, we’re highlighting each of the 10 GAMSA semi-finalists on our blog,   Facebook ,   Twitter , and   Instagram   every day until the #NOW19 conference. Semi-finalists are selected by a national jury of community development professionals and leaders in the fields of economic development and historic preservation. These communities exemplify the power of ...
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Community Spotlight: Downtown Burlington Welcomes New Co-Operative Brew Hub

March 14, 2019 | Community Spotlight: Downtown Burlington Welcomes New Co-Operative Brew Hub Just in time for St. Paddy's Day, Downtown Burlington, NC is excited to welcome its newest neighbor, Burlington Beer Works (BBW). BBW is a passion project, devised by local lovers of this community who wished to encourage the cultivation of relationships with one another while also providing a venue where members of the community are able to spend their very valuable free time, refreshing and nurturing their spirits. The BBW founding Board of Directors identifies the co-op as a “...co-op brewery and restaurant located in historic downtown.” They “...believe that ...
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2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Wausau, Wisconsin

March 14, 2019 | 2019 Great American Main Street Semi-Finalist Spotlight: Wausau, Wisconsin In just a few weeks, we’ll announce the three winners of the 2019 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) at the   Main Street Now Conference   in Seattle, Washington. In anticipation of the GAMSA reveal, we’re highlighting each of the 10 GAMSA semi-finalists on our blog,   Facebook ,   Twitter , and   Instagram   every day until the #NOW19 conference. Semi-finalists are selected by a national jury of community development professionals and leaders in the fields of economic development and historic preservation. These communities exemplify the power of the ...
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