Tag: Main Street Coordinator

Stories from the Field: A RARE AmeriCorps Perspective

Posted on by Julia Havens

Eastern Oregon Beer Festival

Harnessing A Town’s Passion to Create Sustainability

La Grande, Oregon is a small rural town of 13,000 people, nestled in the Grande Ronde Valley. Most people in the town are farmers, livestock ranchers, and of course, beer enthusiasts. Upon my arrival two and a half months ago, many of the remarks I heard involved the common notion that everyone works for themselves, and people are unwilling to work together for the greater good. How can that create a sustainable town for the coming years? With a university up the hill, and the railroad line close to downtown, this small town should be able to create some connections that will help it grow in the future.

Another common notion that I heard floating around during my short time here, is that many people have been talking with each other about holding an Eastern Oregon Beer Festival. My initial thoughts: Why hasn’t this happened yet? Who is going to do this if we don’t? Holy Cow… a beer festival in Eastern Oregon! How long would it take for something like this to create stability in this town?

So of course, La Grande Main Street Downtown decided to take the initiative to begin the planning process. The organization committee met to discuss whether this was a feasible attempt. And yes, it was a go! About a month after creating the Beer Fest subcommittee, we are now seeing a new form of diversity in the group, and we can see the passion that people have for this. All it took, was one organization to stand up and take the initiative to start the process.

At our latest meeting, we had an equal amount of old faces, along with new ones. The recruiting process has been simple… word of mouth travels far. Since people in this town are already passionate about beer, and by creating an avenue for these people, we are receiving higher levels of participation than any of our past events. Our hope for this event is to gain profits that can sustain a coordinator role here in the La Grande Main Street Downtown office, in addition to filling our downtown property, like the old Ale House. If we hold a major festival here in this town, businesses will come, and the town will prosper. So everyone, keep a look out for the First Annual Eastern Oregon Beer Festival! It’s going to be a good one.

 

Saira Siddiqui RARE AmeriCorps ParticipantAbout the Author:  Saira Siddiqui received her Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design with Minors in Studio Art and English from the University at Buffalo, New York.  As a student, Saira held internships with the Buffalo Olmstead Parks Conservancy and the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning.  Saira applied to the RARE AmeriCorps Program – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments in hopes of gaining hands-on experience in the community development field while making positive changes in the community she serves.  Her RARE placement is with La Grande Main Street Downtown. 

Stories From the Field: A RARE AmeriCorps Perspective

Posted on by Julia Havens
Sandy Main Street Astoria Oregon RARE Program

I admit it, I love conferences. Fluorescent lights, windowless rooms, and sometimes-questionable food aside, the synergy of passionate, like-minded individuals uniting to share ideas and learn together. We come to conferences from the day-to-day reality of our work, maybe feeling embattled, overwhelmed, or in need of a recharge. By the end, everyone leaves bleary-eyed, over-caffeinated (maybe that’s just me), and eager to get home, but carrying with them a renewed spark of passion for their work.

Coming to the Oregon Main Street Conference as a complete novice representing a Main Street program that, in many ways, is still in its infancy, I was floored by the wealth of innovative projects taking place across the state. But more than that, I realized for the first time that there are a LOT of components involved in revitalizing and preserving a city. I mean, that goes without saying, right? It’s a bit too obvious to call it a realization. But seeing the topics in all of the conference sessions laid out in front of me, I think I really comprehended it for the first time. Preservationists, retailers, developers, property owners, tourists, community members, service organizations, parking specialists, disaster preparedness planners…all of these components and countless others work in sync (ideally) to make up the physiology of a community.

What amazed me most about the experience was the overwhelming spirit of collaboration and community present in every project, every presentation, every conversation between programs. All of the aforementioned moving pieces in a community are manned by individuals who want to invest in their collective future. They are the reason that these projects exist, and their investment is the crucial ingredient for the success of the projects. And the wonderful work showcased at the conference came to fruition because of their passion and expertise.

The opportunities for partnership and collaboration in Main Street are plentiful, because so many people can contribute, and so many will benefit from the program’s success. Seeing these successful models of collaboration, pulling together as many stakeholders as possible to capitalize on their energy and skills, which is the ‘spark’ that I carry with me from this conference; the one that fuels the fire for my work. The people in these communities want their cities to succeed, and it’s our job to build the infrastructure needed for them to achieve that goal.

Oregon Main Street works with communities to develop comprehensive, incremental revitalization strategies based on a community’s unique assets, character, and heritage. This year’s Oregon Main Street Conference was held in Astoria, Oregon on October 2-4, 2013

Aubrey Erwin RARE Resource Assistance for Rural Environments Sandy Main Street, Sandy OregonAbout the Author: As a RARE AmeriCorps Program – Resource Assistance for Rural Environments participant, Aubrey Erwin is the Main Street Coordinator in Sandy, Oregon. She received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Environmental Studies from Albertson College of Idaho, and plans to study urban and regional planning in graduate school. Her free time hobbies include bicycling, gazing lovingly at Mount Hood, and exploring the natural and man-made wonders of the greater Portland metro area.