Minds Wide Open, a statewide celebration of women in the arts, will highlight thousands of special events across the commonwealth between March and June of 2010. While any individual or group can participate by presenting at least one public program focused on women, and related events are taking place in nearly every part of the state, … More Minds Wide Open contest features Main Street communities
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
Berryville has caught on to the economic development potential of the arts. On Jan. 9 Berryville Main Street (BMS) held a grand opening of the Fire House Gallery and Shop with wide-eyed enthusiasm. After all, this latest project is a new direction for the organization. The Fire House is a public-private project initiated by the … More Berryville Main Street embraces the arts
Southwest Virginia’s “Crooked Road” region has been named one of the 2010 America’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The 253-mile route through Virginia’s Appalachian region winds through 10 counties, three cities, and 19 towns. Originally conceived and incubated through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), the project was designed … More The Crooked Road on Dozen Distinctive Destinations List
“You have to ask yourself….are you the hawk, or are you the ground squirrel?” The question kicked off the 2010 Virginia Main Street Manager’s Retreat at Radford’s Selu Retreat Center last week. Eighteen Main Street program managers from across the commonwealth gathered for a day and a half of focus on mission-based financial management. And while the Main … More Hawk or ground squirrel?
It’s no newsflash for Main Street communities that cultural heritage and history-based tourism can bring meaningful revenue downtown. Here are a few examples of strategic investments and attractions affecting Main Street communities. They’re gathered by our friends at the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR). To sign up for DHR’s news clips, contact: Randy Jones. Tourism and Rail in Lynchburg: When city and state officials worked … More Tourism magnets on Virginia’s Main Streets
Want to add some color to a gray winter day at the office? Take a virtual visit to Charlottesville’s refurbished Downtown Mall with two University of Virginia planning students. Charlotteville’s Downtown Mall Rap, a musical look (Hey C’ville!) at one of the nation’s few high-performing pedestrian malls was completed for a studio course. Complete with urban-sprawl combating karate kicks … More What rhymes with streetscape?
With sub-freezing temperatures and snow covered lawns, it’s kind of hard right now to imagine the vine ripened, farm fresh tomatoes that will be sold at Virginia’s farmers’ markets this summer. But for those in charge of the community market, the dark days of winter are a good time to to prepare for your best season ever. For inspiration: check out … More Farmers’ markets around the world and close to home
Maps make sense of the world around us. They are both descriptive (think of the elevated ridgelines of topographic maps) and prescriptive (the Google maps navigator telling you how to get from here to there). And they don’t always match reality. As this Slate slideshow of strange maps demonstrates, maps may not fit so much into neat categories of right … More Mapmaker, mapmaker, make me a map
Just as the Oregon Shakespeare Festival anchors a comprehensive and lively arts scene in the City of Ashland, Oregon, the American Shakespeare Center has sparked greater investment in the performing arts as an economic tool in the Shenandoah Valley community of Staunton. Soon, in addition to menu of Shakespeare at the Blackfriar’s Playhouse, community leaders hope to offer visitors contemporary … More Staunton’s strategic arts investment and the power of community
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