College Town Connections: Welcome Back Week in Farmville, VA Brings Students and Families Downtown

In August, the Farmville community extended a warm and enthusiastic welcome to students returning to both Longwood University (LU) and Hampden-Sydney College (HSC). Whether new to campus or returning for another year, Longwood Lancers and Hampden-Sydney Tigers were greeted with a strong sense of community as they settled back into town following the summer break.

To encourage students to visit downtown and celebrate their return, Farmville Downtown Partnership (FDP) – an Advancing Virginia Main Street (AVMS) program – organized a special “Welcome Back Week” event and promoted all that downtown Farmville has to offer. Local businesses proudly decorated their storefronts with LU and HSC-themed displays. In addition to enhancing their storefronts, businesses offered special deals and discounts to students, drawing them downtown to shop, dine, and explore. The pride of this vibrant two-college town was prominently on display!

To further elevate the excitement during the Welcome Back Week event, FDP hosted a window decor contest. The organization’s Design Committee judged participating storefronts in downtown Farmville that reflected the community’s pride in being a two-college town. After careful consideration, FDP awarded first place to Sassy Sisters Boutique for their outstanding display. See photos below!

“Welcome Back Week is something that we wanted to try out this year as a way to boost our initiative of having students engage more with downtown Farmville. We’ve got two colleges located within about five miles of us, and we want them to become a part of our community more everyday than the day before. This year, we saw tons of traffic downtown in our stores from students and their families.”

– Emily K. Gantt, Executive Director, Farmville Downtown Partnership

As an AVMS and Main Street America Accredited program, FDP has strategically defined and aligned its downtown revitalization efforts around several key focus areas. Central to the organization’s mission is strengthening the connection between the town and its academic institutions, recognizing the mutual benefits for both. A vibrant commercial district enhances the reputation of LU and HSC, improves the quality of life for students, faculty, and staff, and helps local businesses connect with built-in customer segments.

The local Main Street program’s “Welcome Back Week” event serves as an engaging and effective way to celebrate Farmville’s distinctive identity as a two-college town while fostering connections with those who contribute to the community’s uniqueness.