Main Street Vermilion: In Reverse
When I think of what Main Street Vermilion has done for the community over the past 20 years, I do it in reverse.
I pretend I have a camera and I point it all around downtown Vermilion. It’s good at capturing the atmosphere and essence of the heart of our community we see today. At the same time, this magical camera removes everything that Main Street Vermilion, its partner programs and its collaboration with the city and other organizations have added to the downtown over time.
One by one, familiar features disappear.
The classic light posts (our first project) that line Main Street, Liberty Avenue and dot our downtown parks? Poof!
Wayfinding signage, a shared initiative with the city, is not what you see today nor will it continue to be in the future.
Flowers baskets and beds of color that Vermilion in Bloom, our first partner program, have planted would cease to be an important part of Main Street’s focus on beautification.
The Vermilion Arts Guild would not have this venue on Main Street for creating a community of local art talent and the opportunity to sell their works.
The more than $1.2 million in Community Development Block Grants administered by Main Street for building revitalization may have never materialized. Our downtown would look quite different.
Main Street’s tourism marketing efforts that invite people onto our streets and beaches and into stores and restaurants would fail to create the interest we rely on from visitors, whether it’s a day trip or a week-long stay.
During February, the ice sculptures and activities that Ice A Fair delivers would just melt into another winter day.
All Washed Up and Chalk it Up would deprive us of artistic expression and blast of color on our streets.
The Postcard Project, an award-winning public art installation, would revert to blank walls and empty spaces and we might not be talking about what Public Art Vermilion is planning next.
Some trees that were planted along the eastern corridor through the Bridge2Bridge program may never have taken root.
You get the idea.
Over the next couple of months, we’ll share more snapshots of how Main Street Vermilion has added positive change to our community. There are big stories and little stories that all add up to the picture we see today of our community. We’ll share them here and on Facebook and Instagram starting the week of May 10th through September where plans for celebrating 20 years of Main Street will take shape.
We invite everyone to follow, join, volunteer, and support Main Street Vermilion. You play one of the most important parts in how our community looks and feels.
Share your Vermilion memories with us by tagging #44089memories on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Marilou Suszko, Executive Director