Community Spotlight: How Science Inspires Main Streets
Three examples of creative science programming from grant recipients of the In the Path of Totality program.
Last year, Main Street Selma created the Jeffrey the Ghost Project to honor the late Kathryn Tucker Windham, a celebrated author, folklorist, and Selma resident. Inspired by Windham’s beloved 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey, Main Street Selma commissioned world-renowned folk artist Charlie "Tin Man" Lucas to create a sculpture of Jeffrey the Ghost. Lucas built a two-sided piece from Windham’s old washing machine, using the white exterior of the washer to evoke a white-sheeted ghost, and the metal inside to create an abstract ghost.
Throughout October 2016, Main Street Selma "haunted" downtown with Jeffrey, giving life to the ghost at different shops and destinations around downtown. The community was asked to search for Jeffrey, find him, take a picture with him, and post the picture to social media using the hashtags #Jeffreytheghost, #downtownSelma, and #AlwaysHome. Everyone who posted on social media were put into a drawing to win a basket full of prizes from several downtown merchants, and at the end of the month Main Street Selma hosted a Halloween party and announced the winner.
Jeffrey now sits on a pedestal build for him next to the Selma Welcome Center!
The Jeffrey the Ghost Project is a result of Main Street Alabama's participation in the Cultivating Place in Main Street Communities workshop. Thank you to Main Street Alabama and Main Street Selma for sharing this story!
Related News and Stories
How Free Music Experiences Strengthen America’s Main Streets
Music has a unifying power to bring people of all generations, backgrounds, and cultures together for creative expression. Let’s explore how accessible, family-friendly music experiences can strengthen Main Streets across America to build stronger communities, one concert at a time!
Community Spotlight: Halloween on Main Streets!
Happy Halloween! From small business trick or treating and parades to art installations and festivals, Main Streets across the Network love to go all out for spooky season.
Main Spotlight: 15 Ways to Celebrate 15 Years of Small Business Saturday®
As we approach this milestone celebration, we've compiled 15 creative ways for Main Street and downtown leaders to make this year's Small Business Saturday truly special.
Save the Date: 15th Small Business Saturday® Neighborhood Champions
The application opens in early October and will remain open until mid-November, or until all the spaces are filled.
From Vacant Lots to Vibrant Venues: The Impact of Levitt AMP Concerts on Main Streets
At the heart of thriving Main Streets are vibrant public spaces that unite people of all ages and backgrounds and enrich community life. And what better way to activate public spaces than through the power of free, live music?
Middlesboro, Kentucky © Levitt Foundation
Community Spotlight: Print Media Partnerships Connect Communities in Nevada, Iowa
Learn how Main Street Nevada uses print media campaigns to reach people who are not engaged online.
Staff Spotlight: Using the Arts to Foster Community Change
Art is a powerful tool for community change. Learn how the arts can improve community engagement, boost economic development, and connect with the Main Street Approach.
Main Spotlight: How Fredericksburg Main Street Uses Shop Crawls to Boost Downtown Businesses
Shop crawls are a great way to introduce people to your small businesses. Fredericksburg Main Street loves to host shop crawls, and this spring, they tried a new model: the flower crawl.
Main Spotlight: How to Create a Strong Foundation for Powerful Communications
Heart of Biddeford in Biddeford, Maine, explains the process they used to create robust new communications procedures.
Main Spotlight: Stories of Hawaiian Heritage in Vancouver, Washington
At Fort Vancouver in Vancouver, Washington, Native Hawaiians played a critical role in the success of the Hudson Bay Company. Today, Vancouver’s Hawaiian history and heritage plays a crucial role in efforts to reenergize the city’s historic downtown.
Community Spotlight: Totality on Main Street
From Maine to Texas and beyond, people gathered to bask in the the totality or peer through funky glasses at the Great American Solar Eclipse!
Erie, Pennsylvania © Dave Tamulonis
The Eclipse is Almost Here! Tips for Engaging Along Main Street
Whether you're preparing your community for a surge of visitors, traveling as a visitor yourself, or looking for a glimpse from outside the path, there are many opportunities to be experience this unique event.
Community Spotlight: Valentines Murals in Little Five Points
Learn how the Little Five Points neighborhood of Atlanta uses this unique mural program to celebrate Valentine's Day and raise important funding for their work.
Community Spotlight: Sharing Umbrellas with Vancouver Downtown Association
This Washington Main Street is encouraging people to brave the rainy weather with their free umbrella share program.
Main Spotlight: A Ferry Ride to Main Street in Bainbridge Island, Washington
Learn how Bainbridge Island Downtown Association leverages their connection to the ferry to create a walkable and vibrant downtown.
Bainbridge Island, WA © Anna Carson
Exploring the Meaning and Impact of Small Business Saturday Across the Main Street Network
Small Business Saturday is an important opportunity to show your support for local businesses. We asked business owners across the network what your support means to them.
Laramie, WY © Laramie Main Street Alliance
Community Spotlight: Dia de los Muertos with Main Street Gardnerville
Celebrate this traditional Mexican holiday with Gardnerville, Nevada.
Gardnerville, NV © Main Street Gardnerville
Small Business Saturday Neighborhood Champion Application Now Open
This holiday season, rally your communities around the small businesses that help make your downtown thrive.
5 Ways to Make This Your Best Small Business Saturday Yet
Small Business Saturday is Nov. 25! Check out these five strategies to celebrate shopping small.
Community Spotlight: Los Festivales y Mercados with Kendall Whittier Main Street
Learn how this community in Oklahoma celebrated Dia de la Independencia with a big festival.
Tulsa, OK © Kendall Whittier Main Street
Save the Date: Small Business Saturday Neighborhood Champions Program Opening Soon
Get ready to support your small business owners and encourage people to shop small this November!
Program Spotlight: WeShopSC is Open for (Small) Business
Learn how the South Carolina Coordinator Program is uplifting small businesses across the state with their dedicated e-commerce platform.
© Main Street South Carolina
Main Spotlight: Exploring the 2023 Summer Intern Projects
Learn how Majd Alsaif, Celeste Constancio, and Leilani Commons supported Main Street America this summer.
Community Spotlight: East Somerville Main Streets Block Party
Check out this vibrant event celebrating small businesses and community joy in Massachusetts.
© Devon Moos Photography
Community Spotlight: Cajun Linen Night with Thibodaux Main Street
Celebrate summer in Louisiana—Cajun style!
© Abbigail LaCombe
Community Spotlight: NewTown Macon Hype Hounds
Learn how this Georgia town is recruiting their furry friends to help spread the word about Main Street.
© NewTown Macon
Main Spotlight: Fighting Hunger at the Roslindale Village Farmers Market
Learn how this Massachusetts community uses their farmer's market to increase access to fresh food.
Community Spotlight: Back to the 90s with Downtown Little Rock Partnership
This unique event brought new life to an old space while celebrating everything 90s.
© Downtown Little Rock Partnership
Preparing Your Main Street for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse
Are you in the path of totality? Check out these tips from Carbondale's experience in 2017.
Main Spotlight: Engaging with Science on Main Street
Main Streets across the network are bringing science downtown. Check out these examples from Hendersonville, NC, Los Alamos, NM, and Sweetwater, TN.
© City of Hendersonville
Science on Main Street: Using Scientific Significance to Instill Community Pride
Learn how Main Street leaders and residents in Los Alamos, New Mexico have used the town's fascinating history to create a hugely successful week-long ScienceFest, going 16 years strong and counting.
Science on Main Street: The Desire for a Different Earth Day… Downtown
Learn how Hendersonville, North Carolina launched their first annual Earth Day Festival to celebrate their local environment and educate residents about ways to get involved with regional environmental sustainability efforts.
© City of Hendersonville
Science on Main Street: Totality in the Valley in Sweetwater, Tenn.
Jessica Morgan and Hayley Isbill from the City of Sweetwater (Sweetwater, Tenn.) explain how they prepared their community for the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse and give useful tips and tricks for those who are preparing for the next eclipse coming in April 2024.
Allied Member Spotlight: Spring Tune Up for Websites
Spring is a great time to do some spring cleaning and maintenance for your digital storefront: your website.
Main Spotlight: A New American Girl for a Great American Main Street
Meet Kavi, the first Indian American Girl of the Year doll and a (fictional) resident of 2023 Great American Main Street Award winner Metuchen, New Jersey!
Metuchen, NJ © Lauren Beischer Photography
Allied Member Spotlight: How To Turn Blog Posts into Social Media Content
Check out these marketing tips from Allied Member Tourism Currents.
Five Main Streets to Show Your Love for Local This Valentines Day
From the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers in Paducah, Kentucky, to the tasty cakes and sweet treats of Kendallville, Indiana, these Main Streets are the perfect places to show your love for all things local.
Kendallville, IN © Historic Downtown Kendallville
Photo Spotlight: City of Halloween, South Carolina
Rhe City of Conway, SC rebranded for the month of October as the City of Halloween. Check out this photo essay showing their month of spooky fun.
Conway, SC © Adam Emrick
5 Tips to Make Your Small Business Saturday a Success in 2022
From social media scavenger hunts to downtown passports, the Main Street network has used countless innovative ways to encourage their communities to Shop Small®—and had plenty of fun doing it.
Oceanside, CA © Road West Photography
Community Spotlight: Staunton Stories
Staunton, VA is full of fascinating people, so when Greg Beam took over Staunton Downtown Development Association SDDA in 2019, he wanted to find a way to showcase them.
Staunton, VA © Greg Beam
Community Spotlight: Welcome Back Student Block Party with Emporia Main Street
Emporia Main Street celebrated the return of their college students with their annual Welcome Back Student Block Party.
Emporia, KS © LatinFit
Community Spotlight: Friendly City Fortune in Downtown Harrisonburg
Learn about Friendly City Fortune, Downtown Harrisonburg Renaissance's largest annual fundraiser. It provides flexible revenue for a variety of projects including art installations, façade enhancements, and small business support services.
Harrisonburg, VA © Downtown Harrisonburg Renaissance
Community Spotlight: Fostering Vibrant Main Streets through Free, Live Music
As a social impact funder, the Levitt Foundation partners with changemakers nationwide to create those destinations, leveraging the power of free, live music to amplify local pride, inject joy into underused public spaces, and foster more equitable, healthy and thriving communities.
Community Spotlight: Valentine’s Day on Main Street
A roundup of exciting, innovative, and romantic initiatives created by Main Street programs to celebrate Valentine's Day.
Siloam Springs, AR © Main Street Siloam Springs
Community Spotlight: FestivICE Connects York County Trail Towns
Learn how this exciting winter event leveraged a rail trail to bring communities together.
York, PA © Downtown Inc
Tips and Tricks to Help Make Your Small Business Saturday a Success in 2021
Is your Main Street ready for the biggest small business shopping day of the year?
Community Spotlight: 2021 Great American Haunted Main Streets
We challenged our Main Streets to tell us their downtown’s strange sightings, haunted buildings, or other paranormal activities for a chance to be named a 2021 Great American Haunted Main Street.
Main Spotlight: Local Instagram Takeovers Share Best Practices and Increase Connectivity Nationwide
Main Street America hosted our first-ever Instagram Stories Takeover, giving six Main Street organizations from around the Network direct access to our Instagram account.
Emporia, KS © Emporia Main Street
Main Spotlight: Using StoryWalks to Bring Reading and Fun Downtown
Interested in creating a StoryWalk in your downtown commercial district? Read on to learn more about installing a successful story walking trail.
Community Spotlight: Love Letters for Local in Frederick, Maryland
Love Letters for Local is a new initiative that encourages community members to write letters of appreciation and support to small businesses as they persevere into the new year
Frederick, Maryland © Downtown Frederick Partnership
Community Spotlight: The Holidays on Main Street
Read on to learn about a few of our favorite COVID-friendly holiday initiatives we’ve seen across the network.
Community Spotlight: Pop-Up Drive-In Movie Theater in Main Street Coon Rapids
Learn how Main Street Coon Rapids brought some retro movie magic to their downtown with their pop-up drive-in movie theater.
2018 Community Transformation Workshop Recap
An essential component of the Main Street America Institute, the three-day in-person workshop gives participants hands-on tools to enact revitalization projects in their communities.
Community Spotlight: Main Street Hampton
Main Street Hampton hosted a Food and Friends Farm-to-Table dinner at the Rustic Brew during Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week.
Community Spotlight: Historic Real Estate Finance Training
The Main Street America Institute (MSAI) partnered with the National Development Council (NDC) to offer Historic Real Estate Finance, part one of a two-course certificate program, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Creating Engaging Walking Tours
Creating a historic or art walking tour is much more than simply a collection of pictures and descriptions.
Community Spotlight: Partners in Preservation 2018
From community gathering spaces to retail incubators, from small towns to big cities – this year’s projects and communities are a testament to the diversity of Main Streets across the country.
Community Spotlight: Ames, Iowa
Downtown Ames hosted a festival for the 46th annual RAGBRAI race (The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa).
7 Ways To Bring Your Main Street On Screen
You don’t need to be a big-name district to make a video that goes viral; you just need to know what you’re doing.
Network Spotlight: Main Street Maine
The Maine Downtown Center launched an interactive web portal aimed at attracting visitors through one-stop shopping and compelling content.
Main Street Gone Mobile: How to Develop an Effective Mobile Marketing Strategy
Promotion positions the downtown or commercial district as the center of the community and hub of economic activity, while creating a positive image that showcases a community’s unique characteristics.
Community Spotlight: Ocean Springs Unveils New Logo
The Ocean Springs Chamber Main Street gave their logo and branding a fresh look incorporating their 2013 Great American Main Street Award victory.
City Sidewalks, Dressed in Holiday Style
Too often, as we’re strolling our favorite Main Street, we pass empty or dark shop windows that make us want to hurry home a little bit faster. Imagine instead, a charming streetscape adorned with vibrant, lively window displays, showcasing retailers’ favorite products and seasonal gift ideas.
Network Spotlight: Main Street Iowa Restaurant Week
From authentic comfort food to farm-to-fork fresh and everything in between, these restaurants, bars, and cafes are key to the thriving social, business, and residential life in the historic commercial districts in Main Street Iowa communities.
Fab Lab Sparks Rural Opportunities
Located in southeast Kansas, Independence (pop.8,799) is home to Fab Lab ICC, which is on track to be the world’s leading innovator in combining entrepreneurial mindset education with a fab lab maker space.
5 Tips for Main Street Marketing
What if someone asked us for some quick marketing ideas that any Main Street town could use for more visibility, especially online? Here is what we’d say.
Community Spotlight: Main Street Guymon’s Football Families
Oklahoma's Main Street Guymon Director Melyn Johnson found more than just an innovative way to engage nearby college students in Main Street activities.
Community Spotlight: Main Street Hanford, California
Main Street Hanford hosted a special Lemoore Naval Air Station Appreciation Night at their weekly Thursday Night Market Place.
Community Spotlight: Carbondale Main Street, Illinois
Carbondale Main Street, established 1989, is located at a “sweet spot” for watching the total solar eclipse on Monday, August 21—it’s just a few miles north of the point of greatest duration within the path of totality
The Lowdown in Downtown LaBelle
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Leveraging Social Media for Brand Awareness, EastonMainStreetDidit…and they Liked it!
The Easton Main Street Initiative, established just a decade ago and serving the riverside city of Easton, Pennsylvania, decided it was time to give ourselves a pat on the back.
Pop-Up Art Tour
Main Street Bartow's empty storefronts become pop-up art galleries to promote economic development.
