Main Street Arkansas is hosting Destination Downtown in El Dorado on September 14-16. Destination Downtown is the south’s premier conference on downtown revitalization, and is organized by the state Main Street programs of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. This year, we can’t think of a better place to host it than in the 2009 Great American Main Street Award-winning city of El Dorado.
“El Dorado’s boom to bust and back to boom again story is an inspiration to small town America,” said Doug Loescher, the director of the National Trust Main Street Center, who will open the conference on September 14. “The downtown has come full circle. The 20-block district boasts 65 specialty shops, restaurants, and accommodations with an exciting nightlife that includes a classic European pub as well as venues that support one of Arkansas’s strongest music scenes.”
Downtown El Dorado will serve as a living laboratory for conference attendees, who typically range from city mayors and chamber directors to downtown merchants, Main Street directors and dedicated volunteers. “We’re changing it up this year,” says Main Street executive director Cary Tyson. “In the past, we’ve hosted the event at a conference center. This year, attendees will walk the streets and actually engage in downtown on their way to the educational sessions.”
The conference sessions revolve around the four points of Main Street with specialized sessions on downtown housing, storefront design, and retail entrepreneurship. The speakers boast many years of work in the Main Street field and come from all over the country.
Director’s Picks: Tyson is looking forward to “It’s a Circus Out There: Better Work on Your Balancing Act,” a session about how non-profits can avoid overwork and burn-out. Tuesday night, the citizens of El Dorado will re-enact Showdown at Sunset, the historical reenactment of a courthouse duel that has earned them national recognition.
The Main Street Arkansas staff and citizens of El Dorado cordially invite you to register for Destination Downtown conference. For more details, contact Greg Phillips at (501) 324-9887 or email greg@arkansasheritage.org. See you in September!
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