Monday, October 8, 2012

Main Street Arkansas Update - October 8, 2012

Historic Downtown Heber Springs 

November 1 – Arkansas Community Development Conference – UCA, Conway – more at arcds.org

SAVE THE DATE:      March 4-5, 2013 Quarterly Training in Little Rock – Legislative Outreach & Fundraising

Main Street Arkansas Calendar – October 8 – 12, 2012 
**************************************************************************
MONDAY                             Susan – out, ill  
TUESDAY                           Sam & Greg – Arkadelphia; Mark – Hardy  
WEDNESDAY                    Greg, Susan, Sam – Heber Springs (board training)  
THURSDAY                        Susan, Nancy – El Dorado (urban forestry workshop)
FRIDAY                               
***************************************************************************

IN THIS ISSUE:
It’s Official – Downtowns Are Booming
More Positive Downtown Growth Press
Families Will Choose to Live Downtown – If We Design for Kids
Recognize Your Festival/Event – AR Festival & Events Assoc Call for Award Noms
A Texas Downtown & a Creative/Artistic Way to Build Public Restrooms
Where Do Commuters Walk to Work? – AR ranked very low
Location Strategy: Do Downtowns Go with Dentures?
More than 20% of Americans Own a Tablet Computer
Reward Philanthropy in Your Community
Award for Excellence – call for noms
AR ArtLinks Conference – Oct 16-17, Hot Springs

It’s Official – Downtowns Are Booming

More Positive Downtown Growth Press

Families Will Choose to Live Downtown, If We Design for Kids

Recognize Your Festival – AR Festival & Events Association Awards
Recognize outstanding examples of quality, creativity, and achievement in the festivals and events industry by submitting your nomination NOW for the 2012 ALFiE Awards. The awards will be presented at the 2013 AFEA Annual Conference on Jan 31-Feb 1. To download the nomination form, go to http://tinyurl.com/alfieform and be sure to include all support materials along with the completed form(s) when submitting.

A Texas Downtown & a Creative/Artistic Way to Build Public Restrooms
-          Price? Apx. $40-60k, constructed by city workers.

Where Do Commuters Walk to Work?
-          you’ll only see a handful of AR cities listed & the numbers are pretty pitiful.  No place in AR even cracks 3%

Location Strategy: Do Downtowns Go With Dentures?

More than 20% of Americans Own a Tablet Computer
-          This is growing exponentially & will surely increase with the iPad mini announcement later this month (allegedly) Is your website enabled for mobile/sniffer technology?

Reward Companies Doing Good in Your Community
Who’s doing good in your community? Each year Arkansas Community Foundation recognizes local businesses that are committed to good citizenship and worthy philanthropic endeavors. Our Outstanding Philanthropic Corporation of the Year awards are presented at the annual Arkansas Business of the Year ceremony hosted by Arkansas Business

Announcement: Rudy Bruner Award For Urban Excellence 2013 Call for Entries
The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence celebrates urban places that are distinguished by quality design and their social and economic contributions to our nation’s cities. Winners offer creative place making solutions that transcend the boundaries between architecture, urban design and planning and showcase innovative thinking about American cities. One Gold Medal of $50,000 and four Silver Medals of $10,000 will be awarded. Projects must be a real place, not just a plan or a program, and be located in the 48 contiguous United States. Award winners may use prize money in any way that benefits the project. To apply:  Visit www.brunerfoundation.org/rba to learn more about the award (including a digital archive and case studies of past winners) and to download the application. For more information, questions or to request a copy of the application or Call for Entries poster, email us at application@brunerfoundation.org. The deadline for the 2013 Award is December 10, 2012.

Arkansas Arts Council to Host Statewide Arts Conference Oct. 16-17 in Hot Springs
Creating a thriving statewide arts advocacy alliance is the theme for "ArtLinks 2012" set for Oct. 16-17 at the Hot Springs Convention Center. Hosted annually by the Arkansas Arts Council, "ArtLinks 2012: Putting the Pieces in Place" is a statewide conference for artists, arts administrators, educators and community leaders in Arkansas.

Speakers from around the United States will illuminate how arts organizations can operate more effectively and use new funding streams to develop economic collaborations. Participants will learn ways artists and arts organizations can work with their communities to create a successful arts advocacy alliance. Registration forms, speakers’ bios and conference details are available at www.arkansasarts.org or by calling the Arkansas Arts Council at (501) 324-9766.

The conference will also include a luncheon presentation by Kimberly Camp, former director of The Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, and the awarding of the Individual Artist Fellowships. Keynote speaker Betty Plumb, executive director of the South Carolina Arts Alliance, will speak on the impact a private, nonprofit statewide assembly can have on funding for the arts and arts education. Under her leadership, Plumb organized a successful grassroots advocacy campaign to restore funding that was cut from the South Carolina Arts Commission