Discover Downtown Middlesboro Receives 2014 National Main Street Accreditation

Members of the DDM Design Committee in front of the Elks Home which they are working to restore.

Middlesborough, Kentucky (June 24, 2014) – Discover Downtown Middlesboro  has been designated as an accredited National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Main Street Center®, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its partners announce the list of accredited Main Street® programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to historic preservation and community revitalization through the Main Street Four Point Approach®.

“We congratulate this year’s nationally accredited Main Street programs for their outstanding accomplishment in meeting the National Main Street Center’s performance standards,” says Patrice Frey, President & CEO of the National Main Street Center. “Accredited Main Street programs create vibrant communities by using a comprehensive strategy to preserve their historic character and revitalize their commercial districts, which helps make these great places to work, live, play and visit.”

The organization’s performance is annually evaluated by the Kentucky Main Street Program, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten performance standards. These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program’s application of the Main Street Four Point Approach® to commercial district revitalization. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking programmatic progress and actively preserving historic buildings.

Certificate recognizing DDM as a nationally certified Main Street program.

In 2013 Discover Downtown Middlesboro reported $2.7 million of investment downtown, 13 new businesses created, and over 100 new jobs. During that same period of time the organization managed to attract over $150,000 in grants to carry out a strategic planning process, to build a trail connecting the downtown with the National Park, and to assist with pre-development work on the Elks Home which the organization has owned since December 2012. These accomplishments were recognized at the National Main Streets Conference in Detroit this past May when Middlesboro was one of two communities nationally named “Ones to Watch.”

Discover Downtown Middlesboro is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that was founded in 2006. Since that time the organization has worked to spearhead revitalization of the downtown area. This is accomplished through coordinating grassroots action by volunteers on four committees - Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring. Some recent DDM projects include organizing the Christmas Parade and decoration of the downtown, addition of four fountains and seating at Cumberland Avenue and 20th Street, and encouraging the restoration of several buildings downtown.

Established by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980, the National Main Street Center helps communities of all sizes revitalize their older and historic commercial districts. Working in more than 2,200 downtowns and urban neighborhoods over the last 34 years, the Main Street program has leveraged more than $59.6 billion in new public and private investment. Participating communities have created 502,728 net new jobs and 115,381 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 246,158 buildings, leveraging an average of $33.28 in new investment for every dollar spent on their Main Street district revitalization efforts.

###

Middlesboro Receives Seed Grant to Help Build a Thriving Economy for Cumberland Gap Area

Group created action plan at Appalachian Gateway Communities Regional Workshop focused on enhancing and capitalizing on the area’s natural and cultural assets

One of the many events that attract visitors to Fountain Square each year. Credit: DDM.

Middlesboro, KY. (June 11, 2014) – Discover Downtown Middlesboro has been awarded a $7,500 grant from the Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative to help the Passage Through the Gap Partnership to implement a plan to establish a tourism ambassador training program.

As an important entry point to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, communities in the Cumberland Gap area between Barbourville in Kentucky and Martin’s Station in Virginia sent a diverse team of local leaders, land managers as well as tourism and community arts representatives to participate in a three-day program earlier this year. The Appalachian Gateway Communities Regional Workshops focused on helping communities to spark economic development while maintaining and enhancing their quality of life.   The participating communities extended from Alabama to New York and engaged in action-planning exercises designed to identify the unique Appalachian characteristics that make their communities appealing places to live, work and recreate. Working with national and regional experts on sustainable tourism, economic development, the arts, natural and cultural resources, transportation and branding, the Passage Through the Gap Partnership team crafted a new vision that aims to enhance tourism, economic development, and job creation efforts in our area.

Team leader Isaac Kremer, Executive Director with Discover Downtown Middlesboro explained: “Through our strategic planning over the past year we identified enhancing tourism and regional collaboration as major goals. The Appalachian Gateways workshop served to simply accelerate plans we already had. We’re thrilled to bring the Certified Tourism Ambassador^TM program to our area ─ an approach that has successfully aligned businesses to enhance the visitor experience in 17 states, with over 11,000 front-line CTAs.”

The workshops and accompanying seed grants were presented by the Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative, a partnership by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Conservation Fund, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation that aims to help Appalachian gateway communities build thriving economies while protecting and conserving their precious natural and cultural heritage qualities and strengthening the overall quality of life. Fourteen teams participated in the workshops and nine teams were awarded seed grants totaling $60,000 to carry out their on-the-ground plans.  

“The Passage Through the Gap Partnership was an ideal candidate for an Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative seed grant because it demonstrated a clear need with a proposed project that is well-crafted, achievable, and designed to address the need,” said Kris Hoellen, Vice President of Sustainable Programs at The Conservation Fund.  “The project’s potential for both expanding and diversifying access to the artistic, cultural and natural heritage of the area will help to strengthen the community and spark sustainable economic development.”

The Appalachian Gateway Communities Initiative was developed by the Appalachian Regional Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts in 2007.  The Gateway Initiative has helped gateway communities across Appalachia expand tourism and other economic development opportunities through community assessments, tourism planning workshops and grants for project implementation.  The Conservation Fund and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have partnered to strengthen the leadership capacity of towns, cities and communities that neighbor publicly protected natural and recreational lands in distressed, transitional or at-risk counties.  

The regional workshops were held this winter at the Heartwood Center in Abingdon, Virginia, and at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.

About the Appalachian Regional Commission

The Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) is a regional economic development agency that represents a partnership of federal, state, and local government.  Established by an act of Congress in 1965, ARC provides funding for several hundred projects each year in the Appalachian region, in areas such as business development, education and job training, telecommunications, infrastructure, community development, housing, and transportation. These projects create thousands of new jobs; improve local water and sewer systems; increase school readiness; expand access to health care; assist local communities with strategic planning; and provide technical and managerial assistance to emerging businesses. www.arc.gov

About the National Endowment for the Arts

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is the largest annual funder of the arts in the United States.  An independent federal agency and the official arts organization of the United States government, the NEA’s mission is to support excellence in the arts; bring the arts to all Americans, and provide leadership in arts education.  The NEA awards more than $100 million annually, investing in every state.  www.arts.gov

About The Conservation Fund

At The Conservation Fund, we combine a passion for conservation with an entrepreneurial spirit to protect your favorite places before they become just a memory. A hallmark of our work is our deep, unwavering understanding that for conservation solutions to last, they need to make economic sense. Top-ranked, we have protected more than 7 million acres across America. www.conservationfund.org  

About the National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a privately funded nonprofit organization, works to save America’s historic places. For more information, visit www.PreservationNation.org.

# # #

Contact:

Isaac Kremer, 606-248-6155, Discover Downtown Middlesboro, downtownmiddlesboro (at) gmail.com

Katie Allen, 304-876-7925, The Conservation Fund, kallen@conservationfund.org

Molly Theobald, Appalachian Regional Commission, mtheobald@arc.gov

Tony Tighe, National Endowment for the Arts, tighet@arts.gov

Middlesboro Singled Out for National Recognition Among Nearly Two Dozen Kentucky Communities

Press Release

22 Kentucky Main Street Program communities achieve National Main Street Center accreditation; up from 17 in 2013

Release Date                                                                     Contact: Diane Comer

Thursday, June 5, 2014                                                  502-564-7005, ext. 120

                                                                                               diane.comer@ky.gov

Frankfort, Ky. – The National Main Street Center (NMSC) has announced that 22 Kentucky Main Street Program (KYMS) communities have achieved national accreditation, up from 17 in 2013. KYMS is administered by the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office (KHC), and the center is a division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Accredited programs are Bellevue Main Street, Carrollton Main Street,Covington Downtown Renaissance, Heart of Danville, Downtown FrankfortInc., Georgetown Main Street, Guthrie Main Street, Harrodsburg First, Downtown Henderson Partnership, Discover Downtown LaGrange, LondonDowntown, Maysville Downtown, Discover Downtown Middlesboro Inc.,Murray Main Street, New Castle Main Street, Perryville Main Street,Pikeville Main Street, Main Street Russellville, Heart of Scottsville,Shelbyville Development Corporation, Springfield Main Street andWilliamsburg Main Street.

Of these, LaGrange, New Castle, Perryville, Pikeville, Russellville, Scottsville and Williamsburg achieved national accreditation for the first time. Additionally, Kentucky Main Street serves 23 affiliate Main Street programs and three network communities.

Created in 1979, KYMS is the oldest statewide Main Street revitalization program in the nation, based on NMSC’s Four-Point Approach® emphasizing organization, promotion, design, and economic restructuring. The goal is to encourage downtown revitalization and economic development within the context of historic preservation. Participation requires local commitment and financial support, with a Main Street manager to administer the program through a volunteer board. KHC provides technical and design assistance, on-site visits, a resource center, national consultants and grant funding.

The national accreditation process evaluates and recognizes local Main Street programs according to 10 performance standards. These include broad-based community support for the commercial district revitalization process from both public and private sectors, a relevant mission statement and comprehensive work plan, paid professional program manager, adequate operating budget and commitment to reporting key statistics.

“This increase is a testament of the commitment these communities have to the Main Street approach, and demonstrates its value,” said Kitty Dougoud, KYMS program administrator. “These local directors and their boards are working really hard to make sure their communities understand how all the components of this comprehensive approach work in tandem to make their downtowns more viable and vibrant.”

At the National Main Streets Conference in Detroit May 18-20, Discover Downtown Middlesboro was also singled out – along with Rawlins, Wyoming – as  “Ones to Watch,” cited as “exceptional communities working on very innovative projects, and… poised on the cusp of major transformation.”

According to NSMC, “Discover Downtown Middlesboro has been at the forefront of downtown revitalization since it was founded in 2006, making impressive efforts to recruit public and private support. In 2013, the group secured $136,000 in grants and recorded its highest level of private giving ever. Even more impressive, more than $1.2 million in grants is pending for 2014, and Middlesboro plans to create 1,000 jobs in the next five years.”

A featured speaker at the national conference, noted preservation economist Donovan Rypkema, cited the Main Street revitalization program as “the most cost-effective economic development program in the nation.”

The Kentucky Main Street Program bears this out, with proven success in reversing the economic decline of many downtown commercial districts. Through the Main Street program over three decades, Kentucky can document investment of more than $3.7 billion, leveraged through private and public sources.

In 2013 alone, Kentucky communities reported nearly $122 million total investment, representing, cumulatively, $48.6 million in public investment from all sources, matched by nearly $28.4 million in private investment, as well as 531 net jobs added in Main Street districts and 364 downtown buildings rehabilitated.

For more, visit www.heritage.ky.gov/mainstreet.

# # #

An agency of the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, the Kentucky Heritage Council/State Historic Preservation Office is responsible for the identification, protection and preservation of archaeological resources and historic buildings, sites and cultural resources throughout the Commonwealth, in partnership with other state and federal agencies, local communities and interested citizens. This mission is integral to making communities more livable and has a far-ranging impact on issues as diverse as economic development, jobs creation, affordable housing, tourism, community revitalization, environmental conservation and quality of life. www.heritage.ky.gov

Why This Work Matters – How an Eastern Kentucky Downtown Has Become a Preservation Success Story

Part of our Better Block team. From left to right: Jon Rollins, Rob Dinsmore, Jimmy Piper, Della Rucker, Vicki Birenberg, Kitty Dougoud, Isaac Kremer, Charles Leachman Judy and Larry Grandey (knelling), and Joe Bird.

Here is a simple question for the over 15 million supporters of preservation out there. If you could have any one thing to help with a preservation project what would you want most: a) $1,000 dollars, b) 30 gallons of paint and brushes, or c) 100 hours of volunteer time.

Of course anyone is preservation would recognize this as a trick question because the answer is “all of the above.” Without money you probably won't have materials, and without volunteers no amount of money or materials will help you do all the work that needs to be done. At a more basic level, preservation is about telling a story that inspires people to action. The surest way to realize success in preservation is to enlist the support of your friends, neighbors, and community members. For that reason volunteers and their time are the most precious resource that we have in preservation today.

In May 2014 Downtown Middlesborough demonstrated to the world how a small town can get preservation going in 48 hours or less during our Better Block Middlesborough event. Dozens of residents were joined by experts in preservation, architecture, environmental cleanup, landscape architecture, and community and economic development. The possibility of long term change was demonstrated through carrying out tactical interventions together. Here's a quick summary of what we did.

The Elks Home, ca. 2012.

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Home

This building was constructed in 1911 as a convalescent home for the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Subsequently it served as the Middlesboro Hospital through the 1950s before the hospital moved to larger quarters. Dallas Shackelford donated the building to Discover Downtown Middlesboro, Inc. in December 2012. Ever since then efforts have been made to evaluate the building and lay the foundation for its restoration. Grants have been applied to from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection. If funded, this will provide $250,000 to remove documented hazardous materials including lead, asbestos, and mold. Unemployed coal miners will be given valuable skills through partnerships providing job training through Southeast Kentucky Community & Technical College and the Eastern Kentucky Concentrated Employment Program.

Meanwhile, the project recently has received grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Kentucky Heritage Council to perform architectural and structural engineering services. These will result in a historic structures report - one of the fundamental pieces of any preservation project. Detailed drawings and specifications will be created for how to stabilize portions of the building that have deteriorated.

While the complete restoration of the Elks Home will likely cost around $10 million dollars, last weekend volunteers were able to plant the seeds for this bigger project. Unsightly storefronts were cleaned up. Details about the restoration project were put in one. An exhibit on Ben Harney, the father of Ragtime music who lived in Middlesborough from 1890-1893, was placed in another. There are two other storefronts awaiting further work. Inside, volunteers were able to remove non-toxic debris. Metal will be sent to the Bell County Recycling Center. 

During the lead up to Better Block Middlesborough the Kentucky Heritage Council announced their My Old Kentucky Home Photo Contest. Discover Downtown Middlesboro was well positioned thanks to over a year of advocacy for this project and a robust social media presence, so it was relatively easy to  recruit hundreds of supporters to vote for the Elks Home in the photo contest. What started with a picture taken with the half dozen or so members of our Design Committee has led to over 400 votes in this contest. Presently Middlesborough has the top two vote getters and is leading the the competition from the southeast corner of the Commonwealth. (Hint: You can still vote here for your favorite places every day through May 23. We appreciate your support for this important project!")

Alley just as work on the pop-up park started last week.

Pop-up Park

A few storefronts down from the Elks Home is the location of the former Sports Center. This is where Lee Majors (then Harvey Lee Yeary) hung out while a young man living in Middlesboro. The building was destroyed by a fire in the 1980s and had to be taken down. During Better Block this vacant alley was transformed. Several visiting Episcopal priests painted a tree on the ground near the entrance based on the famous "Tree of Life" design from the Rookwood Pottery Company out of Cincinnati. Rhododendron were suspended from the steel beam, ala the MassMoca hanging tree installation. Planter boxes, pallet chairs, and benches were added to give a sense of home to this previously vacant space. The surest sign of the success of these interventions was when high school students heading towards prom decided to do a photo shoot while work was underway.

Makers Market

We started the Makers Market in April in a vacant storefront just a few down from the Elks Home and our new pop-up park. The building it is located in an 1890s building that formerly housed the Palace Saloon over 100 years ago and the popular T.H. Campbell that sold clothing and shoes. While the store had been closed for several decades, this was a natural place for our Makers Market to get started. Here local artists, crafters, food producers, and musicians have been invited to share their work. The project was funded by am Appalachian Regional Commission Flex-E-Grant through the Kentucky Department for Local Government and administered by the Brushy Fork Institute of Berea College. Flex-E-Grant funds are made available to distressed ARC counties in Kentucky for projects that are designed to build capacity in these communities. Already nearly a dozen makers are represented at the market. The hope is to continue and expand the market even after the grant that funded it runs out. A recent campaign through power2give.org and Fund for the Arts out of Louisville helped us to raise an additional $5,000 with matching funds from the Humana Foundation.

The Makers Market is a Kentucky Proud and Appalachia Proud location, certified by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture. During Better Block the Ag Department joined in the act providing food tastings of Kentucky made products. Kentucky prawns, kale, squash, and greens were just a few of the highlights. We are grateful to Angela Caporelli for coming all the way from Frankfort to take part in this event.

"Why This Work Matters"

This brings us back to our original question about what it takes for preservation to be successful and to make communities better. The most critical ingredient is participation of citizens, business owners, and residents. Coordinating volunteer effort with leaders in the public and private sector is crucial. We were fortunate to have Della Rucker from The Wise Economy Workshop and author of The Local Economy Revolution present during this Better Block event. Throughout the course of the day she shared many insights with participants about how we can strengthen civic participation, and how this will help us to achieve our economic and community development goals.

Recently Rucker was involved in publishing a book with essays titled Why this Work Matters: Wisdom from People who are Making Communities Better. While there are many lessons to be taken away from the thoughtful and insightful essays in the book, perhaps the greatest lesson is this. The critical ingredient to the success of any community or economic development effort is people who care. Sometimes caring is not enough. Care needs to be followed up by action.

So next time you wonder how things are going for preservation today why not head to the mountains and visit some special people in Eastern Kentucky who are working to transform their downtown, their city, and their region for the better. You might even get some inspiration to help with preservation in your town.

Middlesborough Getting Ready for Better Block on May 10!

The block on Cumberland Ave between 20th and 21st where Better Block will be held. Credit: DDM.

Outside the Exploration
Center at 129 South 20th St.

Middlesborough is building on its reputation as the DIY capitol of Eastern Kentucky with another Better Block event this weekend. The community held another event like this in their historic downtown last October. Over 100 volunteers from 15 states descended on the downtown to carry out low-cost temporary interventions to demonstrate the potential for long-term change. A theater that had been closed for over 30 years was reopened. A vacant storefront was transformed into the Exploration Center - a place where kids are encouraged to creatively play. And entrepreneurs were given a chance to share their products as mobile vendors, through pop-up shops, and even a pop-up cafe.

Over the past six months organizers have reflected on this experience and selected a series of new interventions to bring another block to life. One of these, the Makers Market, was started in another vacant storefront in April.  The Market provides an opportunity for local artists, craftspeople, musicians, and food producers to demonstrate their skills and showcase their products. The project addresses the long-term goal of developing the local economy through the creation of small cultural businesses that can revitalize the downtown area.

Here are three ways that you can get involved in this exciting event:

1. Volunteer to take a part in Better Block. The pre-build will be taking place throughout the week and the big event is this Saturday. Please fill out this easy form here or send us a note at downtownmiddlesboro(at)gmail.com. We'll connect you with the right people and resources. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J5QRH5G
2. Make a contribution. Our Makers Market still has about $6,000 that it needs to raise. Make a contribution via power2give.org and your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Humana Foundation. https://power2give.org/go/p/2890
3. Show your pride for Middlesborough and vote for the Elks Home and the Makers Market in the My Old Kentucky Home contest. http://woobox.com/h4r4qg/vote/for/2444612

Other interventions that will be highlighted in downtown Middlesborough this coming week are pop-up parks, a guerrilla historical registry, and a pop-up cafe in the Makers Market space at 2008 Cumberland Ave. The full project planning document is available to view on the Discover Downtown Middlesboro website here: http://downtownmiddlesboro.org/betterblock.htm.

The Makers Market has already become a popular downtown destination. Credit: DDM.

Organization Chair Kristy Bay in the alley on Cumberland Ave where a pop-up park will be born. Credit: DDM.

Photographer Harold Jerrell is one of the may local makers who has participated in the Makers Market. Credit: DDM.

Special Guests

• Della Rucker, Wise Economy Workshop and author of The Local Economy Revolution (Cincinnati, OH)
• Bill Lutz, Community Development Director (Piqua, OH)
• Kitty Dougoud, Kentucky Heritage Council, Kentucky Main Street Director (Frankfort)
• Jen Williamson, Kentucky Heritage Council, Preservation Architect (Frankfort)
• Vicki Birenberg, Kentucky Heritage Council, Certified Local Government Program (Frankfort)
• Jimmy Piper, Architect, GRW (Lexington)
• Jon Rollins, GRW (Lexington)
• Angela Capporelli, Kentucky Department of Agriculture (Frankfort)
• Joe Bird, Chapman Technical Group (Huntington, WV)
• Rob Dinsmore, Chapman Technical Group (Huntington, WV)
• Rodney Wolfenbarger, Brushy Fork Institute, Berea College (Berea)

Kentucky Main Street Program

• Denise Wainscott, Barbourville Tourism/Main Street (Barbourville)
• Bobbie and Earl Gothard, Tri-Cities Heritage (Cumberland)
• Jincy Bailey, Salyersville Renaissance (Salyersville)

Community Members

• Kristy Bay
• Jay Shoffner
• Kelly Shoffner
• Melissa Evans
• Sierra Evans
• Isaac Kremer
• Chrissy Kremer
• Evan Harrell
• Blake Bowling
• Steven Sharp
• Emily Sharp
• Adam Bowling 
• Becky Bowling 
• Tara Pope
• Aaron Fraustro
• Donna Smith
• Vicki Byrne
• Charlene Rucker
• and more...

The Makers Market project was funded by an Appalachian Regional Commission Flex-E-Grant through the Kentucky Department for Local Government and administered by the Brushy Fork Institute of Berea College. Flex-E-Grant funds are made available to distressed ARC counties in Kentucky for projects that are designed to build capacity in these communities.

We Need Your Help to Preserve the Elks Home in Downtown Middlesborough!

Members of the DDM Design Committee in front of the Elks Home. From left to right: Blake Bowling, Chair; Katie Bisceglia-Stotts; Steven Sharp; Elizabeth Barry; Isaac Kremer; Tara Pope; and Aaron Fraustro. Photo credit: Emily Sharp.

Middlesborough is a leading the competition in a statewide contest called "This is My Old Kentucky Home." to identify places that Kentuckians feel at "home." Community leaders submitted the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Home. Originally built in 1911, this impressive four-story brick building served as a convalescent home of the Elks order for a little less than a decade. After that it became a hospital where many people living in Middlesborough today were born.

Craig Potts, KHC executive director
& state historic preservation officer.
Credit: City of Louisville.

“Historic places matter to Kentuckians. We want to invite people to share how and why they value Kentucky’s historic places, and build interest in the reuse and preservation of historic buildings,” said Craig Potts, KHC executive director and state historic preservation officer. “We want people to be able to tell their own story about how historic buildings and places make them feel.”

Discover Downtown Middlesboro acquired the building in December 2012. Ever since then this non-profit organization has worked hard to build support for its restoration. Recently grants to assist with this effort were secured from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Certified Local Government program administered by the Kentucky Heritage Council. Additional applications are pending before the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection to assist with cleanup of hazardous substances in the building. If successful, we hope to transform this vacant eyesore into a beautifully restored mixed-use building with housing and offices on the upper floors and with retail and restaurant use on the ground floor.

DDM Executive Director said of the contest, "Middlesborough won a similar contest held nationally by CommunityMatters in September 2013. We're confident that the community will rally together and we can win again, while highlighting one of the most distinctive buildings in Eastern Kentucky and our Commonwealth."

The Elks Home will also be a focal point of the upcoming Better Block Middlesborough event on Saturday, May 10. Storefronts will be brought back to life through the installation of a pop-up museum, signage, and exhibits. Additionally, several other temporary interventions will take place on this block including a pop-up cafe located at our Makers Market, a landscaped walkway near the middle of the block, and other improvements to plant the seed for long-term change. Numerous state officials and experts in community and economic development will be present including  Kitty Dougoud, Kentucky Main Street Program director; Herb Petitjean with the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection; Della Rucker from the Wise Economy Workshop and author of The Local Economy Revolution; and Bill Lutz, Community Development Director for Piqua, Ohio.

In celebration of National Historic Preservation Month we ask that you do your part and go out and help us save the Elks Home! Visit the Kentucky Heritage Council page on Facebook, click the "Enter to Win!" button and vote. You can vote once a day between now and May 23. We invite you to attend the Better Block event on May 10 and get involved firsthand. Please share this message and important project with your family, friends, and neighbors. Thanks!


Step-by-Step Instructions.


Instructions for how to vote follow. You may also be able to just follow this link and click vote at the top of the page: http://woobox.com/h4r4qg/vote/for/2444612.

1. Visit the Kentucky Heritage Council page at https://www.facebook.com/KYSHPO and click the "Enter to Win! / Photo Contest" button.

2. On the contest page click "Vote."

3. Find the Elks Home on that page and select vote in the bottom right corner. Once you vote the box will be filled in green. You can vote once a day between now and May 23. So please go back and vote MULTIPLE TIMES!

An EGG-STRAVAGANZA Day in Downtown Middlesborough TODAY!

Why have one event when you can just as easily have two? Join us today for EGG-STRAVAGANZA and the Makers Market. Bring a lawn chair, a picnic lunch, and make it a whole day for family fun downtown. Help us spread the word and make the day great!

Change Event Photo

APR

19

Makers Market: Jesse Johnson

Going

Invite

Edit

Public · Hosted by Makers Market Middlesborough

PROMOTE THIS VE

• Today at 12:00pm - 4:00pm Starts in about 3 hours · 48°F Clear

• Show Map Makers Market Middlesborough 2008 Cumberland Ave, Middlesboro, Kentucky 40965

We met Jesse at the first market. He's based here in Middlesborough and plays a mean acoustic guitar. Come out and here him at the Market this Saturday. We'll have the store open too between about noon and 4pm. Sets at noon and 2pm.

APR

19

EGG-STRAVAGANZA!

JoinMaybeDecline

Public · Hosted by Exploration Center

 

• Today at 11:00am - 12:00pm

• 129 South 20th Street, 40965

• Join · Maybe · Decline Invited by Chrissy Kremer

Join friends and volunteers at the Exploration Center for a wonderful family Easter Adventure!
Children can get their face painted, make an Easter basket, learn why the Easter bunny finds eggs, and participate in an egg rolling contest!

$2 per child with advanced registration
$3 per child at the door, space available

REGISTER TODAY! SPACE IS LIMITED!