Fayetteville Main Street Hosts 1st Annual Chili Cook-off

The autumn season is fast approaching, and Fayetteville Main Street is welcoming in the season with a variety of events and opportunities for local residents, many of which happen on Saturday, October 24. The newest endeavor is Main Street’s first annual Chili Cook-off.

Novices and experienced, kitchen pros are invited to take part in a fun competition to see who has Fayetteville’s best bowl of chili. Main Street Director, Brian Wismer, elaborates, “We have heard comments from the community to do this, so we were excited to find a spot on our event calendar where we could make this happen.” Prizes will be awarded for first place and first runner-up, but the focus is on bringing the community together for an afternoon of fun activities.

Also that same day at the Gazebo, residents can shop at an extended Market Day from 10am-6pm. This will be the final Market Day of 2009, as most of the produce vendors have reached the end of the growing season. “Don’t worry”, says Wismer. “They’ll be back again next year just as soon as the crops are ready!” Many people this year have enjoyed coming to Market Day at the Gazebo in Downtown Fayetteville where vendors have sold their homemade and homegrown products.

If that wasn’t enough, history buffs and thrill-seekers can take part in guided cemetery tours that Saturday night from 6.30-8.30pm. Sponsored by the Holliday-Dorsey-Fife Museum, tourists will be guided to notable gravesites where they will hear from the “ghosts” of Fayetteville’s past describe their lives in the 19th and early 20th century. That same weekend also hosts a long-standing tradition for kids of all ages. The Pumpkin Festival and Trick or Treat on Main Street, will be a fun spectacle around the square. Families are encouraged to come downtown and enjoy the kid’s rides and activities that will be interspersed between the Market Day and Chili Cook-off, and kids will be able to visit the downtown businesses for trick-or-treating and compete in a costume contest. Vendors or individuals wishing to participate in any of these festivities should call 770-719-4173 for more information. They can also download the registration forms from the city website, www.fayetteville-ga.gov.

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Fayetteville Main Street Receives 2008 National Main Street Accreditation

Fayetteville Main Street has been accredited as a 2008 National Main Street Program for meeting the commercial district revitalization performance standards set by the National Trust Main Street Center@. Fayetteville joins over 700 other Main StreetTM revitalization programs being recognized as 2008 National Main Street Programs. Each year, the National Trust Main Street Center and its coordinating program partners announce the list of accredited National Main Street Programs around the country that have demonstrated their ability to follow the Main Street methodology.

"We congratulate this year's accredited National Main Street Programs for meeting our established performance standards," says Doug Loescher, director of the National Trust Main Street Center. "Rebuilding a district's economic health and maintaining that success requires broad-based community involvement and support, in addition to establishing a solid organization with sound management that is committed to long-term success."

The National Trust Main Street Center works in partnership with Coordinating Main Street Programs throughout the nation to identify the local programs that meet the National Trust Main Street Center's ten basic performance standards. These standards set the benchmarks for measuring an individual Main Street program's application of the Main Street Four-Point ApproachTM to commercial district revitalization. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as developing a mission, fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking economic progress, and preserving historic buildings. For more information on the National Main Street Program accreditation, visit www.mainstreet.org/nationalprograms.

The organization's performance was evaluated by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Office of Downtown Development, which is the coordinating organization for Main Street programs in Georgia.

“It’s an honor for downtown Fayetteville’s efforts to be nationally recognized for the sixth year in a row,” said Lane Brown, Main Street Chairman. “The improvements to downtown can be visibly seen and experienced and this past year reflects our success and we’re proud of what our downtown has to offer individuals and families.”

Since 1980, the National Trust Main Street Center has helped hundreds of downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts across the nation reclaim the unique quality of life that only a thriving community center can provide. Through the Main Street Four-Point Approach to commercial district revitalization, which combines historic preservation and economic development, the Center has forged a nationwide movement for the revival of America's historic and traditional commercial districts. The Center provides a nationwide membership network, comprehensive on-site consulting services, in-depth seminars and conferences, technical publications and training materials, and national advocacy for commercial districts.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a non-profit membership organization bringing people together to protect, enhance and enjoy the-places that matter to them. By saving the places where great moments from history - and the important moments of everyday life - took place, the National Trust for Historic Preservation helps revitalize neighborhoods and communities, spark economic development and promote environmental sustainability. With headquarters in Washington, DC, nine regional and field offices, 29 historic sites, and partner organizations in all 50 states, the National Trust for Historic Preservation provides leadership, education, advocacy and resources to a national network of people, organizations and local communities committed to saving places, connecting us to our history and collectively shaping the future of America's stories. For more information, visit www.preservationnation.org

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