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Main Street picks up steam By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer  | Photo by Lawrence White
‘Meet and Greet’
Some
individuals participating in the Main Street “Meet and Greet” event
last week included Harvey Payne, Andre’ DeBerry, Suzanne Langley, Judy
Smith, Ishmell Edwards, Stephanie Movre, Lavora Blake and Peggy Linton,
visitor from Hernando. |
Holly
Springs Main Street is still a baby crawling, but it could get to the
standing-up stage soon if the momentum gained at last week’s “meet and
greet” event is an indication the program has a palpable pulse. Executive
director Judy Smith said a survey of existing businesses in the main
street corridor in Holly Springs shows there are 115. She has visited
these businesses and said people are interested in Main Street even
though they are busy. “We are looking for a
buy-in,” she said. “When I canvassed businesses, there was a lot of
interest and a lot of people on the square are not from Holly Springs
but they have great hope for Holly Springs.” People
have lots of ideas to share but what is needed most now is volunteers
to help achieve goals set out for four committees this year, Smith said. Establishing memberships is one goal and Smith said with the economy sagging, individual memberships are set to be affordable. The
business of the organizing committee this year is to recruit members,
according to Harvey Payne. Memberships help contribute income for
operations of the Main Street program. Smith said individual memberships are set at $52 a year. “It’s
no more than giving up a Coke a week,” she said. “Six businesses have
joined at $125 (for five employees or more) and 12 individuals.” People are strapped for money, she said. Smith and Payne said they are encouraged by the number of people who attended the meet and greet event. “Some
people didn’t show up but they did call and had valid reasons,” Payne
said. “If you couldn’t come and you sent someone, we took that as a
positive note.” Fannie Lampley, chair of the promotion committee, said she is beginning to sense a momentum building for Main Street. “I believe people from the community are going to buy in,” she said. The
design and economic restructuring committees have their goals set but
have not begun yet to implement their work plans, Smith said. People can volunteer to serve on any committee - the organization, promotion, design, and economic restructuring committees. “We have the plans and lots of ideas and we need volunteers,” Smith said. Some ideas include Main Street partnering with the garden clubs and Extension office to install plants in the downtown district. The
promotion committee has an activity planned that should pique
everyone’s interest. They have identified one hidden treasure of Holly
Springs and want to develop it into an event for the summer, Smith
said. And the event committee wants to work
with school kids to get an art contest for school kids to go with the
Kudzu Festival. A third and fourth event idea is to organize a
trick-or-treat-type community event downtown during Halloween and
organizing a “Holly Evening” for December. Attorney
Ki Jones attended the meet and greet and has volunteered for a
committee. He said he would like to see the town kept up every day as
beautifully as it is for the Pilgrimage. “I do
like to see the effort like we make for the Pilgrimage - putting our
best foot forward,” he said. “Appearance means a lot.” Smith said one thing she has noticed so far in her working with the community is that “people have so much character.” “When I have entered their business they are polite and welcoming even when they are busy,” she said. |
