Programs and Committees
Programs
Main Street 4 Point Approach:
The National trust for Historic Preservation’s Main Street program offers an approach to downtown revitalization that has been successful in more than a thousand towns and cities through out the country. The four points descried below are the keys to the success of the Main Street Approach:
Design :
Helping to get Main Street into top Physical shape. Capitalizing on its best assets – such as historic buildings and traditional downtown layout- is just part of the story. An inviting atmosphere created through window displays, parking areas, signs, sidewalks, streetlights, and landscaping conveys a visual message about what Main Street is and what it has to offer.
The Design Committee program plays a key role in shaping the physical image of Main Street as a place attractive to shoppers, investors, business owners, and visitors.
This committee meets the First Wednesday of every month at 4:00. We usually meet at the Heritage Council Office but this can change depending on what is being discussed.
Organization:
This means getting everyone working toward the same goal. The tough work of building consensus and cooperation among the groups that have an important stake in the district can be eased by using the common-sense formula of a volunteer-driven program and an organizational structure of board and committees. This committee takes responsibility for managing the activities and helping to recruit members to the organization.
The committee meets the Third Tuesday of every month at 8:30 am during our Coffee Chats. We usually meet in different restaurants, coffee houses, or business in the downtown area.
Economic Restructuring:
This is the committee that finds new purpose for Main Street’s enterprises. By helping existing downtown businesses expand and recruiting new ones to respond to today’s market, Main Street programs help convert unused space into productive property and sharpen the competitiveness of business enterprises.
Their job is to identify new market opportunities for the traditional commercial district, find new uses of historic commercial buildings, and stimulate investment in property. They must develop an understanding of the district’s economic condition and its best opportunities, focusing on incremental changes that gradually improve the areas economic foundation and make large-scale investment possible.
This committee meets the Third Thursday of every month at Noon. We meet in various locations downtown during the lunch hour.
Promotions:
This is selling the image and promise of Main Street to all prospects. By marketing the district’s unique characteristics to shoppers, investors, new businesses, and visitors, an effective promotion strategy forges a positive image through advertising, retail promotional activity, special events, and marketing campaigns carried out by local volunteers.
The job of the Promotions committee is to PROMOTE downtown as the center of commerce, culture, and community life for residents and visitors alike.
This committee meets on the Fourth Thursday at Noon. We meet in various locations downtown during the lunch hour.
History & Heritage:
This is a new committee not currently used by any other Main Street Groups. We’ve decided that this is something missing from the Main Street Four Point approach and so we’ve added this group locally in order to stay focused on issues related specifically to our history & heritage. The committee includes members from the Brown-Pusey House, History Museum, Historical Society, Ancestral Trails and other local history and heritage groups.
Committees:
Various sub-committees created with volunteers help to run the Heritage Council and organize their events. Currently we have in place the following committees that anyone can volunteer to help with. If something strikes you please notify the Heritage Council to let them know you are interested in volunteering.
Second Saturday:
Downtown shops stay open late from 5-8pm every second Saturday of each month. You may find art, music, books, food and even a sale or two. The Heritage Council started this slow growing program with the hopes of growing the event to include more indoor and outdoor entertainment over the next few years as we also work to recruit new businesses into the downtown area. Eventually look for summer outdoor music, art & craft booths, and more retail & restaurant businesses as things progress.
Nightmare on the Square (formerly Ghost Walk):
Traditional walk around downtown guided by ghosts and goblins and ghost stories about different structures. It now also features more ghost stories, Haunted Hay Ride, kids section, and more. The Masonic Lodge may also be open for Ghost Hunting this night, but check for availability. Takes place in October on the last Saturday before Halloween.
Christmas Tea:
This event is held by the Heritage Council and the Woman’s Club of Elizabethtown. It is held the first Saturday in December. Volunteers will set-tables with china and linens, donate deserts, sandwiches, etc.
Light Up Downtown/Christmas Parade:
This event brings people downtown to kick off the holiday season. This will be held on the second Saturday in December in 2012. All the businesses downtown will be hosting their Holiday Open Houses, there will be singing, Breakfast with Santa, classes on creating ornaments, wreaths, etc. and a Christmas Parade ending with the lighting of the city Christmas Tree.
Ghosts & Legends:
We have been working with the Morrison Masonic Lodge and the Brown Pusey House in order to bring this new event to life. It focuses on the Civil War period and remembers the Battle of Elizabethtown with reenactments, canon fire, and period music. Our next event will take place on August 11, 2012 at 7pm at the Brown Pusey House.
Dinner with the Dearly Departed :
This event features a buffet dinner in the City Cemetery with character portrayals of various personalities of people who are buried there coming back to discuss their lives. We are not scheduled to have this event in 2012, but plan to bring it back in 2013, or possibly late in 2012.
Flower Beautification:
The heritage council along with various businesses and individuals help to beautify the downtown area with the spring and fall flowers. These flowers, hanging baskets and planted pots, provide beautiful landscaping to an already historic downtown. In the spring we have lovely wave petunias and in the fall various colored mums are placed in various locations around the downtown. Everyone is encouraged to help the heritage council with this projects by purchasing these flowers for their store fronts or for their homes. You don’t have to be a downtown businesses to take part in this beautification project.