Happy Friday, Main Street friends! The Community Vitality Office (CVO) team posted fifteen (15) post this month. Did you miss any of them? If so, don’t worry we’ve got you covered ! Catch up here with this month’s edition of “In Case You Missed It!” NEWS : UPCOMING EVENTS: As the month comes to a … More In Case You Missed It: September 2022 Digest

Planning your local food trip? Use the new Virginia Farmers Market Trail app to find farmers markets near you! Developed by the Virginia Farmers Market Association (VAFMA), Virginia State University (VSU) and the Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC), this mobile app helps farmers market lovers find Virginia’s vibrant markets, family-friendly agritourism operations and world-class farm-to-table restaurants. … More Plan Your Next Local Food Trip With the Virginia Farmers Market Trail App

Do you have a transportation issue in your community? Are you looking to develop the right-sized solution? The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) recently launched a new pilot program, called the Ready, Set, Go! Grant, designed to assist Virginia’s smaller-sized communities in identifying, evaluating and reporting achievable, affordable and targeted non-motorized improvements. If selected for … More Application Now Open for VDOT Ready, Set, Go! Transportation Alternatives Grant Program

Hopewell Downtown Partnership (HDP), a Community Business Launch (CBL) grantee for 2022, hosted two grand openings this week at its regularly scheduled Third Thursdays Street Festival. City Point Ice Cream and Burgers owners Phillip and Lexi Hughes, and Jonathan Montiel, and Artisan Alley owner Ann Audrey Eliades Kirk both received funding from the Homegrown in … More Hopewell celebrates two CBL grand openings during Third Thursday street festival

Main Street America (MSA) has announced the River District Association (RDA) as a 2023 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) Semifinalist, one of eight organizations recognized for excellence in transforming downtown districts. This prestigious award is the nation’s top award recognizing communities for their excellence in comprehensive preservation-based commercial district revitalization. A jury of professionals … More BREAKING NEWS – Danville’s River District Association Named 2023 Great American Main Street Award Semifinalist!

Hispanic and Latino communities are at the heart of the Main Street movement. From September 15th to October 15th (and beyond), we encourage you to celebrate and share the Hispanic Heritage stories in your community! To engage and show your support for the Hispanic members of the Main Street movement, utilize this social media toolkit … More Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Your Downtown

With assistance from a Virginia Main Street (VMS) Downtown Investment Grant (DIG), totaling $25,000, and other partners, Orange Downtown Alliance (ODA), d.b.a. Love Orange Virginia (LOVe), collaborated with the Orange County African-American Historical Society (OCAAHS) to create a park that illuminates the history of the Town of Orange’s former African-American commercial district, as well as … More New Park Commemorates African-American Contributions to Orange, Virginia

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development‘s (DHCD) Virginia Main Street (VMS) program will hold a Development Ready Webinar Series in October. Mark your calendars and join us on Wednesday, October 5, 12, and 19 2022 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m! October 5 | Small-Scale Incremental Development October 12 | Marketing & Promotion … More Is Your Community Development Ready? Find Out in Our Webinar Series, Open Now!

This post is mostly applicable to Advancing Virginia Main Street (AVMS) communities, but knowledge of these new Main Street America Accreditation Standards is relevant to any community thinking about their revitalization journey and participation within the Virginia Main Street (VMS) program. The new Main Street America Evaluation Framework, developed by Main Street America (MSA) in … More Main Street America Accreditation Standards: Empowering A New Model for Revitalization

The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is now accepting applications for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Industrial Revitalization Fund (IRF) Planning Grant. The IRF program encourages economic development and investment through the renovation of vacant and derelict structures in Virginia. Each year, the program awards funding to localities throughout the state to … More FY2023 Industrial Revitalization Fund Planning Grant Application Now Open