ON THE CALENDAR: Elevation 8076′ Celebration & Rock Springs Kicks Off Farmers Markets in July!

Posted on 22 June, 201526 March, 2016 by wlmeditor

The Elevation 8076′ Celebration is a music, food, and arts fair inCentennial, Wyoming on July 3rd! All profits benefit the Albany County Search & Rescue and the Centennial Valley Volunteer Fire Department.

Music Featuring:
Kelsey Waldon
Luke Bell
Kelley Mickwee
Brandy Zdan – https://www.facebook.com/brandyzdanmusic?fref=ts
Harland Allen
Danno from Wyo

Festival Seating Only BRING A CHAIR!!!!! The arts part of the celebration starts at 11. Music starts at 1.

Tickets are $20 at the gate, but we will be announcing on this page where you can get your tickets for FREE so stay tuned!

WY MAIN STREET: Wyoming Main Street Programs Honored

Posted on 15 September, 201426 March, 2016 by wlmeditor

Laramie & Rock Springs Main Street programs shared photos of their awards received at the Preserve Wyoming Conference in Powell.

Wyoming Main Street recognizes outstanding communities, businesses and volunteers

CASPER, Wyo. – Wyoming Main Street communities, businesses and volunteers were honored tonight at an awards banquet during the Preserve Wyoming Conference in Powell, Wyo.

Award categories included Wyoming Main Street’s Entrepreneur of the Year, Event of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Wyoming Main Street Program of the Year and the Jim Davis Leadership Award.

“The individuals, entrepreneurs and communities honored by these awards have worked exceptionally hard this year to make their Main Streets truly stand out,” said Mary Randolph, executive director of the Wyoming Business Council’s Wyoming Main Street program. “I am always impressed by the dedication and creativity exhibited within Wyoming’s Main Street communities. This year’s award recipients were very deserving of the recognition they received.”

Award recipients were:

Entrepreneur of the Year went to Carlo Harryman with Sweetwaternow.com in Rock Springs. This award recognizes an outstanding entrepreneur who is heavily invested in a historic downtown district and Main Street program. The business is an integral part of the downtown business mix and has strong relationships with other businesses. Harryman is willing to listen to ideas and help promote events and activities within the community. He is creative in promoting local businesses and organizations and has participated in all Main Street events since the business opened just over 12 months ago.
Event of the Year was given to Rock Springs for its Downtown Burger Challenge.This award is given to a community with an extraordinary Main Street event that is creative and has strong volunteer support behind it. The Burger Challenge encouraged area residents to visit all five downtown restaurants during National Burger Month in May. The event reinforced the fact that downtown Rock Springs is home to many great eateries and reminded people to choose downtown as a place to dine. The event exceeded expectations in the number of participants.
Gillette Main Street Art Walk Committee was recognized as Volunteer of the Year. This award goes to volunteer(s) who can be depended on to get the job done, work hard for the betterment of the downtown district, and have done something outstanding that deserves added recognition. The Art Walk Committee dedicated many hours each month to working with businesses, soliciting artists, creating different activities for the event and overseeing advertising.
Laramie Main Street Alliance was awarded the Main Street Program of the Year. Laramie was chosen because it had an amazing year in both the design and organization categories of the Main Street Four Point Approach ®. Laramie stood out as a program that is embracing the entrepreneurial spirit by changing its strategies to meet a changing market.
The Jim Davis Leadership Award went to Dan Brecht with the Platte County Main Street program in Wheatland. The award is given to a person who has been instrumental in the preservation and revitalization of historic commercial districts. They are a rare leader who has not only dedicated their time to a downtown district, but has the leadership qualities necessary to recruit others to the Main Street movement. Brecht uses his time and money to enhance the Wheatland community, has an ability to draw unlike groups and organizations together and has personally preserved and renovated his own downtown businesses and buildings, inspiring others to do the same. He is committed to seeing projects through from beginning to end and his efforts have resulted in a tremendous beautification effort throughout Wheatland.

The Wyoming Main Street program was established by the Wyoming Legislature in 2004. Main Street is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and emphasizes a four-point approach to revitalization: economic restructuring, design, organization and promotion. For more information visit: www.wyomingmainstreet.org.

The mission of the Wyoming Business Council is to facilitate the economic growth of Wyoming. The Business Council provides assistance for Wyoming businesses and start-ups, helps communities meet their development and diversification needs and recruits firms and industries that complement Wyoming’s assets. For more information, please visit www.wyomingbusiness.org.

WY MAIN STREETS: Rawlins Wins National Award, Laramie Mural Project Competition

Posted on 20 May, 201420 May, 2014 by wlmeditor

Rawlins Receives National Main Street Award at Conference in Detroit

The Rawlins Downtown Development Authority/Main Street program received a One to Watch Award at this year’s National Main Streets Conference on May 18 in Detroit, Michigan.

The award recognizes exceptional communities working on very innovative projects, and that are poised on the cusp of major transformation. They exemplify the idea that any great Main Street is an ever-evolving work in progress and offer inspiration for other Main Street programs. It is the first time the award has been given. Middlesborough, Kentucky also received the One to Watch Award.

“Rawlins DDA/Main Street is thrilled to win the One to Watch Award. It recognizes all the hard work we have done through the organization,” said Pam Thayer, executive director of the Rawlins DDA/Main Street program. “We could not have received the award without the amazing downtown merchants, the innovative property owners, the committed volunteers and the public and private support in the community. It truly is an award for all.”

Representatives from Rawlins, Wyo., stand to be recognized at the National Main Streets conference May 18 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo courtesy WY Main Street program)

In March, Rawlins was named one of 10 semifinalists for the Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA), a coveted award that recognizes exceptional Main Street communities with successes that serve as a model for comprehensive, preservation-based commercial district revitalization. Rawlins’ nomination as a semifinalist for the GAMSA marked the first time a Wyoming Main Street community has been selected. No community from the Rocky Mountain Region has previously won the GAMSA.

“The One to Watch Award is still an amazing recognition by the National Main Street organization and we could not be more proud of Rawlins for receiving this honor,” said Mary Randolph, executive director of the Wyoming Main Street program. “The Rawlins community has worked so hard and is very deserving of this prestigious award.”

According to Thayer, over the past several years Rawlins has seen many successes including: A drop in the downtown’s building vacancy rate from 45 percent to 10 percent; nearly 25,000 volunteer hours in the program since its inception in 2006, which equals an in-kind contribution to the program of $523,807; and 55 private and public rehabilitation projects completed. The total dollars reinvested in the downtown district since 2008 is about $7.2 million; and for every dollar the Rawlins DDA/Main Street incurred in costs there was a return of $9.56 returned to the downtown district.

Rawlins DDA/Main Street members received the One to Watch award on May 18 at the National Main Streets Conference in Detroit, Mich. (L-R)Stephanie Meeks, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation; Pat Robbins, south central regional director for the Business Council; Eddie Archuleta, City Council, City of Rawlins; Mary Randolph, executive director of the Wyoming Main Street program; Charel Coleman, Rawlins DDA/Main Street; Kacey Caldwell, Rawlins DDA/Main Street; Adam Mendenhall, Rawlins DDA/Main Street; Pam Thayer, executive director of the Rawlins DDA/Main Street program; Karen Fate, Senior BRC/CFP Grant & Loan Specialist at the Business Council; Patrice Frey, president and CEO of the National Main Street Center; Barbara Sidway, chair, National Main Street Center Board of Directors. (Photo courtesy WY Main Street program)

For more information about the Wyoming Main Street program, contact Mary Randolph at 307.777.6430 or mary.randolph@wyo.gov. For information about the Rawlins DDA/Main Street program contact Pam Thayer at 307.328.2099 or rawlinsmainstreeted@rawlins-wyoming.com.

The Wyoming Main Street program was established by the Wyoming Legislature in 2004. The National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, emphasizes a four-point approach to revitalization: economic restructuring, design, organization and promotion.

The mission of the Business Council is to facilitate the economic growth of Wyoming. The Business Council, a state government agency, concentrates its efforts on providing assistance for existing Wyoming companies and start-ups, helping communities meet their development and diversification needs, and recruiting new firms and industries targeted to complement the state’s assets. For more information, please visit www.wyomingbusiness.org.

Laramie Main Street Announces Laramie Mural Project Naming Competition!

MISTLETOE MOSEY IN LARAMIE!

Posted on 6 December, 201130 December, 2013 by wlmeditor

LINK BACK TO OUR WEBSITE: Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine www.wyolifestyle.com Wyovore www.wyovore.com Wyoming Weddings — www.wyoweddings.com WYO XY — http://www.wyolifestyle.com/WYOXY/index.html

Have you purchased your Mistletoe Mosey button in Downtown Laramie yet? You can learn more about the program in our upcoming winter issue of Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine, but in the meantime, here’s some information about one of Dowtown Laramie’s energetic and successful programs that links the business owners together, as well as with the community!

Primed for an enthusiastic repeat of 2010’s success, the Mistletoe Mosey was launched on Black Friday (November 25) and will run until 6 PM on December 23. The program is simple, and a lot of fun: purchase a button with your favorite number on it, and search through 50 participating businesses (see the list in this blog; buttons can be purchased for $5 at any of these businesses). Match the number on your button to the number displayed at one of the stores for a chance to win a $50 prize! You’ll also be entered into a drawing for $1,000 in downtown gift certificates. The Grand Prize Drawing will take place at the First Street Plaza in Downtown Laramie on December 24 at 11 AM. Businesses will also be offering extended hours on Tuesdays during December – shop until 7 PM on these days for extra time to search for that number! Participating is easy and fun – plus you can take care of your holiday shopping and support the local economy at the same time.

As a thank you for shopping local, bring your gifts to the Laramie Main Street Alliance office at 207 Grand Avenue for FREE gift wrapping December 10 through 23, Monday through Saturday, 2 to 6 PM and December 24, 10 to 1 PM.

The Mistletoe Mosey is just one of the ways that Downtown Laramie celebrates the holidays. The annual window decorating contest brings out the creativity in the local merchants; this year’s theme is ‘A Gem City Starlight Christmas’. A nod to Laramie’s nickname, ‘Gem City of the Plains,’ the theme also extends to the annual Christmas parade as well. “Pull out your decorations, find some creative helpers and go wild with lights!” encourages Laramie Main Street Alliance. Judging will take place December 1 from 4:30-6 PM, and winners announced after the parade on December 2 from the First Street Plaza. Categories include: Best Use of Theme, Most Original, Creative Use of Merchandise, Best Design, Most Welcoming, and Best Overall Design.

Be sure to visit Downtown Laramie on Facebook and if you’re in Laramie, get your button today! Whether you’re in Laramie or not, remember to SHOP LOCALLY and give your friends & neighbors your business whenever you can this holiday season!

MISTLETOE MOSEY PARTICIPATING BUSINESSES & ADDRESSES:

A Touch of Country 312 S 2nd St

Alexander’s Fine Jewelry 205 S 2nd St

Altitude Chophouse & Brewery 320 S 2nd St

Ambience Hair Design 218 E Ivinson St

Antique Fever 211 S 2nd St

Asparagus Printshop 216 Ivinson

Atmosphere Mountainworks 210 S 2nd St

Back of the Wagon Antiques 207 S 2nd St

Bank of the West 222 E Garfield St

Beaduwoo 223 E Garfield St.

Bella Home Boutique & Bakery 304 S 2nd St