It’s going to be a real scorcher. While not everyone can spend the day on a shady river bank to wait out the record highs this week, you can seek out your own cool spot in your downtown district. 1. The historic theater. Summertime is a great time for an old-fashioned movie matinée. The daytime prices are cheaper, and those … More Five places to beat the heat on Main Street
Seven designated Virginia Main Street (VMS) communities have been awarded VMS Downtown Improvement Grants in a special initiative marking the program’s 25th anniversary. Successful proposals in the competitive process demonstrated: Measurable impacts or deliverables; Committee or volunteer project leadership/involvement; Partnerships and resource leveraging; Local government involvement or support; Up-to-date program reporting; and The ability to complete the … More Virginia Main Street Downtown Improvement Grants awarded
What happens when you team artists with local arts, culture and social organizations and task them with creating an innovative street gallery in vacant storefronts? On June 25, Staunton visitors and residents will find out, as a month-long exhibit opens in the empty windows along Beverley Street. For a downtown braving a major construction project, … More Staunton’s storefront art initiative
Historic preservation is gaining popular recognition as a “green” practice connected to broader sustainability goals. After all, reuse of a historic building is fundamental recycling. From a national perspective, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has created a Sustainability and Historic Preservation Web resource for homeowners, Main Street communities and preservation planners. Now Virginia can … More Virginia Preservation Toolkit, a green guide?
Downtown revitalization is problem solving with a wide variety of variables, and while we share best practices, each community must develop its own strategies and solutions. Take the problematic pedestrian-automobile relationship. The 1970’s pedestrian mall solution of removing cars altogether worked in a few places but not in most, and it turns out that the most workable response … More Rightsizing traffic for a people-friendly place
In an ongoing celebration of the Virginia Main Street’s 25th anniversary, the Virginia Main Street program has announced a rare funding opportunity specifically for designated Virginia Main Street communities. Downtown Improvement Grants of up to $2,500 per designated community are now available for special, one-time projects. The grant opportunity is designed to offer communities the ability … More Virginia Main Street announces Downtown Improvement Grant opportunity for designated communities
Downtown Blackstone was given the travel treatment by the Washington Post in Friday’s edition. In her article featuring the Robert Thomas Carriage Museum, writer Becky Krystal toured the town and several other important assets, such as Schwartz Tavern and the Virginia United Methodist Assembly Center. The review: positive, and in important ways as well. In her overnight … More Blackstone featured as an escape destination in Washington Post
Altavista arose in the late 19th century, soon after the regional Virginian Railway extended an east-west line, intersecting with the Southern Railway, a major east coast corridor. The Lane brothers, realizing the commercial opportunity, purchased 2,000 acres at the junction, and proceeded to build Altavista and the Lane Home Furnishings from a fledgling cedar chest … More Altavista’s first historic district
On March 25, the commonwealth will officially celebrate 25 years of Main Street revitalization at Lynchburg’s Craddock Terry Hotel. The anniversary dinner will combine special acknowledgement of the quarter-century mark with the annual Milestones Award ceremony. The event will feature special guest speaker Chuck D’Aprix, president of The Downtown Entrepreneurship Project, dinner and live music. … More VMS to Celebrate 25 Years
This month, the Virginia Municipal Leagues’ magazine, Virginia Town and City, features a cover story on the revitalization of Downtown Marion. The subhead reads: “Downtown success story wasn’t written overnight,” and the article, by Marion Downtown Revitalization Association Executive Director Ken Heath, stresses the deliberate, step-by-step approach the community has taken to bring visitors downtown to … More Marion’s revitalization path highlighted by municipal league
Virginia Main Street 