Downtown Matters
Main Street Skowhegan
September 2010 |
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Town of Skowhegan
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| Stacking Up |  As summer winds down here in Downtown Skowhegan, we have a chance to reflect on our summer and look forward to how far our program has come this year. Yes, we have another award; yes, we had a great Antique Car Rally during tent days, and YES, we're ready to brand Skowhegan as the Destination it truly is. Read on for the latest.
Please help MSS continue to increase awareness about downtown revitalization by forwarding this e-newsletter to others in our community who do not already receive it.
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| Wonderful friends of Main Street Skowhegan, Lyn Govoni and Jessica Ward, opened their yards for our fantastic Block Party this year. Dinner included Grassland Farm Chicken and Garden Salad, Beer from Oak Pond Brewery, Local Wines, cake from the Bankery, and a contest for the best side dish! Congratulations Jen Dionne for the award winning tabouleh, and thanks to Dave Ellis of Wish for the beautiful prize bowl and Foss Enterprises for the facilities. All enjoyed Music by Shane McNear, Flowers by the Highlands and Skowhegan Fleuriste, and Plein Air Artwork was available for purchase. We spent some time brainstorming as well as feasting, and came away with some good ideas for planning 2011. If you have ideas for us, or would still like to make a donation even though you couldn't make it, please contact us and be heard!
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Community Development Day Award
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Main Street and
Skowhegan Receive Governor's Award
Photo:
(L to R) Skowhegan Town Manager John Doucette, Main Street Skowhegan Board
President Rosie Bradley, Board Member Karen Hart, Executive Director Jennifer
Olsen, Selectman Betty Austin, Board Members Cherylene Sevey and Audrey
Lovering
Augusta, ME... August 20, 2010
In a year that has brought much
statewide attention to this small community in central Maine, an emerging trend
continues with yet another feather in a once-empty cap. The Maine Office of
Community Development has named Skowhegan as recipient of the Community Spirit
Award for its work with Main Street Skowhegan, recently named Outstanding Main
Street of the Year by the Maine Development Foundation's Downtown Center. " Each August the Maine CDBG
Program holds Community Development Day to celebrate the communities and
projects we have had the pleasure of working with. There are the Governor's
awards for Project of the Year, Administrator of the Year, and Community
Spirit. This year, the Governor's award for Community Spirit goes to Skowhegan!
The Town of Skowhegan and Main Street Skowhegan clearly have a great synergy.
The community is strong and working together for the betterment of the whole
town. We applaud that citizen participation! "
Terry Ann Stevens, Development Program Manager, Office of Community
Development
"We
are so proud to receive this honor for our program," says Jennifer Olsen,
Executive Director for Main Street Skowhegan. "Our work is getting better and
better, and Skowhegan is definitely ready to grow its downtown to the next
level" citing recent and upcoming improvements in pedestrian safety and green
spaces, façade work currently underway, and a branding initiative coming this
fall. The progress with these
endeavors, along with events such as the Holiday Stroll, brings the community
together and they realize Skowhegan's full potential. These awards are validation of the great work
that Main Street Skowhegan has accomplished over the year and the positive path
they are working toward.
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Branding and Annual Appeal
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November 1-3 Main Street Skowhegan is pleased to host community planners Arnett Muldrow for a comprehensive community-wide branding charette. This process will deliver some grassroots community messages about why Skowhegan is a great place to live, work, and do business. Participation is the workshops is open to everyone and free of charge, but will require registration. Stay tuned for more specific information, or contact Jen at the Main Street office to register early.
Annual Appeal The time is here once again for our annual appeal. As you may know, Main Street Skowhegan is funded through a three-tier equation: Business Sponsorship, Municipal Commitment, and public support. We need your help to keep our work going, so please consider a tax-deductible donation to Main Street Skowhegan as part of your charitable giving this year. Letters will be going out shortly to businesses and supporters, and if you had any fun in 2010 at any of our downtown happenings, now is the time to re-invest! Contact Jen at our office to learn how. Main Street Skowhegan has really proven itself this year, and we look forward to even more improvement in 2011!
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Hurricane Preparedness Tips from Somerset Heart Health
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Plan where you will go and how you will get there if
you have to evacuate.
Have two evacuation routes not subject to flooding
Know whether your home could be subject to flooding.
Contact your town or county emergency management agency
if you're not sure.
Purchase flood insurance if your home could possibly
flood. Homeowner's insurance does not cover floods.
Plan for the safety of your pets. Most shelters do not
accept pets.
Purchase a NOAA Weather Alert Radio
Talk with other family members about your plan
especially if you have special needs or mobility limitations If forecasters are beginning to talk about a
hurricane or tropical storm possibly affecting Maine, get prepared now. Even
though we've given you some approximate times to do things, remember that when
hurricanes approach New England, they often speed up rapidly. You don't have as
much time as you think! Three days before: Check your disaster supply kit. If you remain in your
home, do you have everything you need for at least three days, with no
power? Go to the store now, and pick up the things you don't have. Beat
the rush. Do you have everything you need if you have to
evacuate? Begin putting together a "go kit" now. Get your
important family papers together. Consider where you would go. If you
might have to go to a shelter, make sure you have the basic needs for your
family in your "go" kit. Two days before: Fill up your car with gasoline. Visit your bank or the ATM and take out some extra
cash The amount can depend on your family size and needs. An extended
power outage might make it hard to obtain cash, or for merchants to
process credit cards. One day before: Evacuate if advised to do so. Don't wait. If you wait
too long, and then need help, you will be putting responders at risk. Or
they simply will not be able to reach you. Secure all outside furniture or other objects that
could be caught by the wind. Board up exposed windows, or tape them up to
reduce the potential for shattering glass. Surf will be high as the storm approaches. Stay away
from the water. It is dangerous to go to the beach to see the waves! Rocks
and shells carried by the wind can cause serious injury or death. You can
lose your balance in the winds. The strong surf can sweep you, your child
or your dog away in seconds. If you have livestock, make sure they have a secure
shelter. Move them into shelter before the storm becomes too strong. If you are staying in your home, begin closely
monitoring weather broadcasts. Get your portable radio tuned to a station
that is carrying emergency information. Make sure your NOAA Weather Radio
is operating properly. During the Storm: Bring all your pets inside, and stay in your home as
the storm approaches. Stay away from large windows; go to the basement or
an inside room if it appears your home is being damaged by the high wind. Don't be fooled by a sudden calm. It may be the eye
of the storm and last only 15 to 30 minutes. The storm then will resume
with greater intensity and the wind will be from the opposite direction. Do not go out until assured by official weather
reports that the storm has passed. Immediately after the storm: Begin to assess the damage to your home. If you can get out, stay away from flooded areas and
downed power lines. Check on your neighbors, especially those who might
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Directors Tour Main Street Communities
| All of the Main Street Team Statewide had a chance to share their communities recently for a working retreat. From left: Lee from Sanford, Ralph from Van Buren, Nadeen from Saco, Roxanne from the Maine Downtown Center, Shannon from Waterville, Jen from Skowhegan, Zeke from Biddeford, Lorain from Rockland.
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Committee Schedules...Note new times
| | Organization Committee: meets 2nd Friday of the month, 7-9 a.m. at the MSS office.
Promotions Holiday Stroll Committee: meets Friday, September 10, 7:30 a.m. at the Blueberry Cupboard.
Economic Restructuring Committee: meets Thursday, September 23, at 5:30 p.m. at the Main Street Office
Design Committee: meets Thursday, September 9, 5-7 p.m. in the Main Street Office
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Library Notes
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Skowhegan Public Library Benefit Auction-Friday
Sept 10, 5:30 viewing, 7:00 p.m. auction
The Project
2012 Renovation Committee of the Skowhegan Free Public Library is planning to
host an Auction on Friday, September 10, 2010 at the Tewksbury Building on
Island Avenue, Skowhegan. It will be an entertaining and fun event for all who
attend. Already there are items such as a week's vacation in a Florida condo
for 6, a ride on the Kennebec River in an amphibious car with lunch. There are scrap-booking materials, a beautiful wooden garden bench, works of art and
antique rugs. A new unopened set of Louise Coburn's "Skowhegan on the Kennebec"
will also be auctioned. The doors will open at 5:30 pm to view what is for
sale. The auction begins at 7pm. with auctioneer Chuck Robbins. There will be a
Silent Auction, Live Auction and a Luck of the Draw with over 200 items. We
invite you to join our effort to help the Skowhegan Public Library. Tickets are
$10 in advance and $12 at the door. You will receive 10 luck of the draw
chances and light refreshments with your entry ticket. Tickets are on sale at
the library. For more information call: Melissa Gaspar at 474-9072
The library
has some very exciting news. The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation has
awarded the Skowhegan Library $50,000 towards the new elevator which is needed
to make the library ADA compliant. The total cost of the elevator is $100,000.
We are hoping to raise funds for the elevator with the auction on Sept 10th.
Furthermore,
the Skowhegan Public Library received from The
Maine State Museum a New Century Community Program Historical Collections
Facilities Grant of $2,500. This grant provides funds to assist Maine's
non-profit cultural organizations to improve facilities that house
historically, scientifically or artistically significant collections. These New
Century Community Program grant funds were approved by Maine voters in a 2007
bond issue. Funds were very limited and only 8 grants were awarded this
year. The Skowhegan Library received the funds to create a Genealogy Storage area
in the cellar which will be temperature and humidity controlled. This new area
will become the new Genealogy Room for research and public use once the
elevator has been installed to make the cellar accessible. The area will safely
store our many volumes of the bound Somerset Reporter, some very historic
newspapers from the 1840's called the "Anti-Slavery Statements" and other
historically significant books. The new safe storage area will insure that our
many priceless historical books will be kept safe and secure for years to come.
Currently many of these books are kept in the attic which is subject to
extremes of heat and cold. The grant
requires 1 to 1 matching funds and the Library Renovation Committee will match
the grants funds. If anyone would like
more information about the Collections Facilities Grant Program they may
contact the Cultural Resources Information Center at 287-7591 or email at
maine.cric@maine.gov.
We would
like to publicly thank both The Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation and the
Maine New Century Community Program for these much needed and deeply
appreciated grants. We hope that many will be able to attend the auction to
help us continue to raise the necessary funds to make the library accessible to
all. Thank you.
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Skowhegan Fun(d)raisers are at it again!
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SKOWHEGAN GALA
Get your tickets now as
the Skowhegan "Fun"draisers are back again planning for the Skowhegan Gala to
be held at T & B's Celebration Center on Saturday, October 2, 2010, from
7:00 to 8:00 p.m. (Social Hour) and ending at midnight. There will be dancing with the Tony Boffa
Band, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar. Dress is semi formal. Tickets
are $50 per person.
For the past four years, this gala has raised over $23,737
for Main Street Skowhegan, the Skowhegan Free Public Library's capital campaign,
and Somerset Woods Trustees' Run of River project. This year's proceeds will go toward the Somerset Humane Society's
animal clinic.
Tickets may be obtained from Mary
Ellen Carpenter Designs, Wright & Mills, P.A., Suzanne Fitzpatrick and
Jeanne Hogate. For
further information call Mary Ellen Carpenter (474-7210), Davida Barter
(474-3324), Jeanne Hogate (474-9247), and Suzanne Fitzpatrick (474-9456).
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Maine Children's Cancer Program Walkathon
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Southside Tavern hosts the 3rd annual Maine Chidrens Cancer Program Walkathon this
year on September 11. The walk starts 11am
at the 93.5 radio station and we walk to the SouthSide Tavern. DJ's from 93.5 will be participating as well. The walk is approximately 2.5 miles and takes about an hour.
Following the walk is a chicken BBQ. All pledge earners get a free meal and the
general public can purchase it. Southside Tavern donates the chicken and all proceeds go to MCCP.
Shipyard Brewing is a co sponsor and Southside will be running happy hour pricing all
day on their product. There will be prizes, tee-shirts, and giveaways from Pine
State Distributors. They were able to send
MCCP $3356.36 last year and hope to top that this year. FMI contact Bart Hughes at Southside Tavern: 474-6073
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Farmer's Market Link
| If you're not getting the latest in community food news, click here to subscribe to Skowhegan Farmers' Market. What's in, how to cook it, why it's good for you, and what you'll see this week at our downtown market is a click away!
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Downtown Institute: Innovative Market Analysis for Downtowns
| Date: September 10th, 2010 9AM - NOON (refreshments available at 8:30)
Location: Lecture Hall, City Center, 16 Cony Street, Augusta
Todd Barman with the
National Trust Main Street Center will lead this session focused
on better approaches to market analysis and putting effective economic
restructuring principles into practice. The Downtown Institute is
designed to help downtown leaders across Maine gain new understanding,
tools and confidence necessary for downtown revitalization
Todd Barman
is a Program Officer with more than 17 years of experience in the
development field and more than 12 years firsthand Main Street
experience. Todd's expertise in market analysis is widely recognized. As a member of the Wisconsin Main Staff, he coordinated the market
analysis technical support service and led efforts to develop the
nationally recognized "Downtown and Business District Market Analysis
Toolbox." Since joining the National Trust Main Street Center in 2006,
he has conducted many local workshops on market analysis and other
economic restructuring topics. Todd has in-depth experience teaching
all four points of the Main Street approach and has a degree in
landscape architecture.
Advance registration is required.
$35 per session
$25 per session for Main Street Maine communities, Maine Downtown Network communities, and Maine Development Foundation members
Please add the following dates to your calendars for the rest of 2010:
October 15 - Marketing and Fundraising (Special Double Session)
December 3 - Strategic Planning and Downtown Leadership Development
All sessions are presented by experienced downtown revitalization professionals.
FMI: Please contact Amanda Roggio at 626-3121, or via email.
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Word on the Street
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TOP HAT SCHOOL OF DANCE Zumba Classes REGISTRATION WEDNESDAY SEPT. 8TH AND THURSDAY SEPT. 9TH 3 - 6 P.M. SKOWHEGAN STUDIO (FOR BOTH SKOWHEGAN AND PITTSFIELD STUDENTS) ZUMBA PUNCH CARDS NOW AVAILABLE
10 classes for $50
SKOWHEGAN STUDIOMONDAYS and THURSDAYS 7:15 SATURDAY MORNINGS 8:00 A.M. LIMITED SPACE ** CALL NOW 858-0704 TO RESERVE YOUR
CARD!! |
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I Am Main Street... | |
As a spin off to the successful "I Am Main Street" poster campaign created several years ago; Main Street Skowhegan will be highlighting in the e-newsletter individuals, businesses, and organizations who are the many faces of Main Street.
Main Street Skowhegan would like to congratulate and recognize our "I Am Main Street" volunteer this month for continually making a difference in our downtown and our community.
Anyone who's spent time downtown this summer will recognize our Promotions Chair, Lyn Govoni, who worked on RiverFest pedaling the surrey and selling concessions at the concert, coordinating the Tent Days events: salute to Ma Beane's and Antique Car Rally, the Plein Air Painting and art show at Central Maine Artist Gallery, and Chalk on the Walk. She spent countless hours working with businesses to bring people downtown with great feedback and publicity for our community.
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Topics in the Next E-newsletter...
| - Holiday Stroll Planning Details
- Streetscape improvements updated
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Sincerely, Jennifer Olsen, Executive Director and Main Street Board of Directors
Main Street Skowhegan email: info@mainstreetskowhegan.org phone: 207 612-2571 Main Street Matters |
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