The full book club toolkit for Dar Williams’ What I Found in a Thousand Towns is now available! Use the toolkit to build “positive proximity,” and start local conversations around the key identity-building assets in your community–who knows what next steps you will take. What I Found in a Thousand Towns emphasizes the role of projects … More Finding Main Street Toolkit Available
Do your residents and stakeholders feel engaged in their community? Do they feel heard and included? And how does their engagement translate into stronger organizations and programming? On Oct. 1, from noon-1 p.m., Virginia Main Street is offering a free webinar focused on a researched and field tested civic engagement method to build, stronger, healthier, … More Webinar – Heart and Soul Field Guide: Fostering a Participatory Community
How can your downtown function better for residents, merchants, and visitors? And how do you identify opportunities in the physical environment to make your town a destination, drawing customers and revenue to the area? On Oct. 11, 17, and 18 in Bristol, Blackstone and Gloucester, the fall edition of the Regional Rev Up promises to … More Regional Rev Up: Opportunity Analysis – Effective Design
How do pedestrians experience your Main Street? Main Street’s were made for walking, but some of our Virginia downtowns are still not pedestrian friendly. The National Complete Streets Coalition’s mission to increase safe, comfortable and convenient access to community destinations and public places – whether walking, driving, bicycling or taking public transportation. To test out creative approaches … More Creating Safer Streets with Demonstration Projects
If you want to grow your volunteer and donor pipeline, you must reach out to your locals and create an opportunity for input. Listen and find out what they love about where they live. If they see their ideas implemented, they are more likely to contribute their time and money, making Main Street’s mission much … More Collaborate for Impact
The people who make up the Virginia Main Street network are passionate advocates, dedicated volunteers, influential stakeholders, and community organizers who work every day to turn the tide in their communities – catalyzing reinvestment, creating jobs, and fostering pride of place. In order to meet new Main Street challenges and foster an effective organization, Virginia … More 2018 VMS Training Opportunities
Our guest blogger is Luray Downtown Initiative (LDI) Executive Director Meredith Dees. She is a Luray native and recently returned after a career experience in Denver, CO overseeing regional retail operations for a yoga brand. Any Main Street manager will tell you that as soon as they hear the words “road construction” or “street closures” … More An Evening on the Bridge: Luray’s Hometown Fundraiser
On October 24, 26 and November 8 in St. Paul, Franklin, and Ashland, the fall edition of the Regional Rev Up workshops will equip your Main Street program with the tools you need to develop events that add up to meaningful change. When taking on a special event or festival, what guides your allocation of … More Start With “Why”: Creating Purpose-driven Special Events
Preservation Virginia is excited to co-host the Virginia Preservation Conference alongside the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in Petersburg, Virginia on Friday, October 6 at Union Train Station! This year, they invite you to “Explore the Value of Partnerships” happening between organizations in the private and public sector that strengthen Virginia’s communities. You’ll get to … More Explore the Value of Partnerships at the 2017 Virginia Preservation Conference
Warrenton has earned more than 25 years of wisdom as a Virginia Main Street Designated Community. In 2017, their Main Street program celebrated a reboot, a new “booster club” and mantra: Experience Old Town Warrenton. To get there, the first thing the community leaders did was invite all stakeholders to be proactive participants in the … More The Heart of the Revitalization Process: Community Engagement
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