Notes from the Crater: Here's Great Stuff Happening in Downtown Middlesboro RIGHT NOW!

We just wanted to take a moment and share with you all the exciting things happening downtown.

Middlesboro was the only local Main Street program to have a booth at the Expo Hall.
Here is Mike Lydon, author of Tactical Urbanism, speaking with Kentucky Main Street Director
Kitty Dougoud. Credit: Discover Downtown Middlesboro.

1. We recently returned from the National Main Streets Conference in Atlanta. Middlesboro was featured in the opening session in a speech by Main Street President/CEO Patrice Frey. If that wasn't cool enough we were also mentioned in the Closing Plenary by Mike Lydon several times. He used our "It's Good to be Here" stencil and several photos from our Better Block.

2. Best news out of Atlanta is that we had gross sales of over $5,000. This was split between product from our pop-up shop The Palace and the 250 copies of the Tactical Urbanism book that we brought down to sell. On so many levels Atlanta was a HUGE SUCCESS!

Upon returning to Middlesboro we dove in head first.

 3. Plans are underway for a Discover Downtown Mixer on the 3rd Wednesday of each month. The mixer will give you a behind the scenes view in to the upper floors and hidden away spaces downtown. In true DDM style we'll offer food, drink, and a welcoming atmosphere. If you want to be involved in planning these events or just want to get an invite, please let us know. The first mixer is planned for May 20 at 5:30 so please save the date! Location To Be Announced.

4. Work on the Levitt AMP [Middlesboro] Pop-up Park is about to heat up. Next Friday, April 17 and Saturday, April 18 we'll be expanding the stage and doing other construction work. We're still looking for volunteers if you'd like to join us. You can RSVP here on Facebook or by contacting us.

5. In May we're partnering with Kidz Korner to do a cleanup on the exterior of their building and the corner lot they are situated on at Cumberland Ave and 24th Street. Heading up this effort is Blake Bowling and a dozen volunteers from DDM. There is plenty of work to do so you're welcome to join us too.

6. We enjoyed participating in the Heart & Soul Conference Call this afternoon with the Orton Family Foundation and around 100 community leaders nationally. This gave us some good ideas about how to get citizens involved in our local economic development efforts. We're talking with Orton about bringing Heart & Soul to Middlesboro. So that's very exciting.

7. The Pinnacle made the bucket list of "50 things to see, do, and eat in the commonwealth." And just so folks know, there's no getting to the Pinnacle without passing through Middlesboro. So drop by Shades, La Esperanza or the Avenue Cafe for a bite to eat. Then visit our pop-up shop The Palace or the new Crater City Adventure Company. You can make a day out of it.

8. And, last, but not least, we're about to bring 24 new pallet chairs to Cumberland Ave.

Pallet chairs and the guys who made them after delivering them today.
Credit: Discover Downtown Middlesboro.

Oh, and, we might have a production company that wants to use downtown Middlesboro as a location for an upcoming feature film. More on that very soon.