Gentlemen of the Road stopover in Bristol

Bristol, TN/VA is a unique place.  “Two States; One State of Mind” is their motto, but navigating two sets of  building regulations, garbage pickups, tax codes and general government type operations can get a bit confusing. However, Christina Blevins, executive director of Believe in Bristol, Bristol’s Main Street organization, bridges the gaps everyday in a positive, [...]

Hopewell Celebrates Virginia Main Street Designation

A kickoff event celebrating Hopewell’s designation as an official Virginia Main Street (VMS) community was held Thursday, January 12 at the Beacon Theater in downtown Hopewell. At the event, the VMS staff presented the town with road signs signifying its designation as a Main Street Community and joined with local officials in remarking on the [...]

St. Paul Celebrates Main Street Designation

Residents of St. Paul, one of four newly designated Virginia Main Street communities, recently gathered to formally recognize the distinction and enlist new volunteers at a kick-off event in November. Attendees included more than 40 residents, Mayor Kyle Fletcher, Vice-Mayor Sharon Steele, Town Councilmember Monty Salyer and members of St. Paul Tomorrow, led by current [...]

Bike Virginia puts pedal power into Radford economy

For three days, 2,000 cyclists from Virginia and other eastern states encamped in Radford as part of the 2011 Bike Virginia Tour. And, to help the region make the most of the event’s economic impact – projected at more than $1.5 million over the complete five days - Main Street Radford was busy providing volunteers, information, a welcoming spirit [...]

Sustainable Main Street resources available

Main Street efforts are already bringing together economic, social and environmental goals in pursuit of fostering quality in their communities. To push it a step futher, 70 participants gathered in Staunton in July for two days of conversation on and the examination of sustainability models in Virginia. Speakers included Andrea Dono of the National Trust for [...]

Virginia Main Street designates four new communities

Governor McDonnell announced yesterday that four new communities can now tout their distinction as Designated Virginia Main Street Communities.  The new communities are the cities of Hopewell and Bristol and the towns of Farmville and St. Paul.  They were chosen based on a combination of factors that included need, readiness, community support and appropriateness of their [...]

One way to earn a Scooby Snack: “Stay Exempt” tools clearly communicate IRS rules

Those vaguely familiar looking characters at the right aren’t from a lost Scooby-Doo episode. They’ve been freshly created by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as part of the micro site www.stayexempt.irs.gov, and they’re here to help you meddling kids keep your charitable status. The IRS has gotten tougher in recent years on both the organizational [...]

Virginia Main Street Announces Community Designation How to Apply Workshops

Virginia Main Street (VMS) will be accepting applications, due June 16, for up to four additional communities to be designated in FY2012.  This intensive approach to downtown revitalization is ideal for DHCD Commercial Affiliates and other smaller localities with pedestrian oriented historic commercial districts that are committed to community-based revitalization strategies. In this expansion round, VMS [...]

Main Street merchant profile: Waynesboro Florist’s Webber Payne

Waynesboro Florist has been a downtown staple for 45 years, and owner Webber Payne says he can’t imagine the store being anywhere else. “We benefit from the foot traffic downtown,” he says, ”and we add to it as well.” Webber Payne grew up in the family business, which has survived economic cycles, changes in the regional industrial base, and even a 1978 [...]

Martinsville Courthouse Historic Virginia Site of the Month

The Department of Historic Resources (DHR) posted a new slide show for their web feature “Historic Virginia, Site of the Month.”  This month DHR features images and highlights of the changing nature of the circa-1824 Henry County Courthouse, which found new life in 2010 thanks to grants from Save America’s Treasures and the local Harvest [...]