HDDA FEBRUARY 2012 MEETINGS
February 14 – 8:30 am – Promotions Committee (Taste Full Beans)
February 15 – 8:30 am – Design Committee (Taste Full Beans)
February 16 – 9:00 am – Oktoberfest Committee (City Hall)
February 20 – President’s Day (HDDA Office Closed)
February 21 – 10:30 am – Board Of Directors (City Hall)
February 28 – 6:30 pm – Community Vision Forum (First Presbyterian)
HDDA ELECTS 2012 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
During the December 7 Annual Meeting of Hickory Downtown Development Association (HDDA), retiring Board members were recognized. Russel Coley, Julia Rush, and Constance Snyder completed their three-year terms. HDDA appreciates the time, effort, and dedication to downtown these volunteer directors expended during your term of office.
The HDDA General Membership elected the Slate of Officers for the 2012 Board of Directors of Hickory Downtown Development Association. Officers are:
President: Brenda Taylor, RPM Wood Finishes Group
President-Elect: Jason Yates, Olde Hickory Brewery and Tap Room
Secretary-Treasurer: Cheryl Sherrill, BB&T
Past President: Gavin Mitchell, Boyd & Hassell Commercial-Industrial Real Estate
Directors-At-Large are:
Gene Glaze, Glaze Construction
Margaret Jackson, The Jackson Group
Betty Mahoney, Bisque n Beads
Edgar Nucamendi, Taste Full Beans
Tim Phillips, Josh's on Union Square
John Rambo, Hickory Community Theatre
Ernest K. Sills, CBSA Architects
Billy Truitt, Best of Beers
Ex-Officio members of the Board are:
Danny Hearn, Catawba County Chamber of Commerce
Bebe Leitch, Hickory Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau
Andrea Surratt, City of Hickory
HDDA would like to thank Hickory Elks Lodge #1654 in downtown Hickory for hosting the HDDA Annual Meeting. The generosity of the Elks and the efficiency of Sheryl James are greatly appreciated
GLORIA FARR RECOGNIZED AS HICKORY'S 2011 MAIN STREET CHAMPION
Gloria Farr's business may not be located downtown, but that's where her heart lies. An active volunteer and Hickory Downtown Development Association member, she served on the board of directors and as design committee chairwoman for a decade, bringing her sense of style to downtown Hickory.
Gloria was instrumental in a number of design projects, including the installation of Destination Downtown banners -- soliciting donations from local businesses, coordinating the design and receiving approval from the city's appearance commission. She single-handedly raised money to purchase Farmer's Market and "Shop Dine Explore" banners, spearheaded acquisition of new downtown Christmas decorations, initiated Hickory's first tree lighting celebration and worked with city landscaping crews to refurbish Union Square planters.
Gloria and her late husband, George, traveled and read extensively about our natural landscape. She energized our thoughts about the appearance of our downtown with her vast knowledge of well-landscaped urban areas.
Having once said to her committee, "If it's going to get done, we're going to have to do it," Gloria exemplifies the type of individual who gets things done. Hickory Downtown Development Association is fortunate to have such a "can do" volunteer as Gloria Farr, Hickory's 2011 Main Street Champion.
ART CRAWLS RECEIVE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE FROM NC DEPT. OF COMMERCE - MAIN STREET CENTER
The North Carolina Main Street Center presented Hickory Downtown Development Association (HDDA) with an award for the Best Downtown Event to the Downtown Hickory Art Crawls during the North Carolina Main Street Conference on January 26, 2012.
The Promotions Committee of HDDA established the Downtown Art Crawls in 2002 to highlight the art galleries located downtown. The event soon expanded to include other retail sales venues. Today, artists are located in galleries, participating restaurants, retail businesses, and positioned on Union Square. Downtown Art Crawls feature local artists specializing in oils, acrylic, watercolor, photography, metal and wooden sculpture, jewelry, mosaics, and pottery. The performing arts are also represented with music ranging from storytellers to a solo saxophone player to a classical strings ensemble to Dixieland Jazz to Bluegrass/Americana to Rock & Roll depending on the venue. Union Square becomes the stage for dance and theatrical troupes from local schools. The Hickory Museum of Art and the Catawba Science Center offer demonstrations.
A brochure including the "crawl route" is distributed at the Kick-Off Party hosted by local galleries like FanjoyLabrenz Photography Studio and Full Circle Arts. Residents and visitors "crawl" through downtown and visit the diverse venues exhibiting artwork that compliments the merchandise of existing businesses.
HDDA joins with partners throughout the community to present the event. The United Arts Council of Catawba County is a major sponsor of the event along with multiple restaurants, professionals, and retail businesses hosting local artists.
Downtown Hickory Art Crawls are a replicable model that creates a venue for residents and visitors to view local well-crafted art while visiting businesses in which they may not normally be exposed.
Congratulations to HDDA partners, sponsors, business owners and artists for an award-winning special event in Downtown Hickory!
Join us Thursday, May 17, from 5pm-8pm for the first 2012 Downtown Art Crawl.
We guarantee you'll find something to write home about!
GREENWAY TRANSIT CENTER RECEIVES BEST INNOVATION AWARD
During the North Carolina Main Street Awards program, the Greenway Transit Center was presented with The Best Innovation award. Rick French, chairman of the Western Piedmont Regional Transportation Authority (WPRTA) and Rick Patton, the City of Hickory's project engineer, accepted the award for the project.
The construction of the Greenway Transit Center in the Southwest Downtown Hickory Historic District was completed in June 2010. An abandoned one-story Diamond Cab building was formerly located on the City of Hickory's site. Rehabilitation of the abandoned building was deemed impractical. The building was demolished with approval from the State Historic Preservation Office. A portion of the bricks from that structure were salvaged and used in the new Transit Center.
Union Square served as the transfer station for all bus routes for several years. The construction of the Greenway Transit Center created a more comfortable atmosphere for riders to wait for their next bus, alleviated the congestion of riders and buses on Union Square, and provided restroom facilities for Greenway customers and drivers. The loading area canopy extends 196 feet and 26ft-6in wide and provides protection from the elements to mass-transit riders. The heavy-timber framing and wood decking is reminiscent of canopies at train stations.
The Greenway Transit Center enhances Hickory's Southwest Downtown Historic District through the building design, the landscaped parking facility adjacent to the building, and the convenient location to other mass transit facilities such as the Train Depot.
Congratulations to Western Piedmont Regional Transit Authority and the City of Hickory for the award-winning project in Hickory's Downtown Historic District.
PAVILION ON UNION SQUARE DESIGN UNVEILED
Watch for weekly updates of the City of Hickory's progress on the construction of the Farmers' Market/Multi-Purpose Pavilion on Union Square.
The Downtown Hickory Farmers Market is scheduled to open on April 28. Interested in becoming a vendor at the 2012 Farmers' Market? Please call Market Manager Donna Cullum at 828-308-6508.
SUBMIT
YOUR NEWS FOR THE DOWNTOWN REPORTER
Hickory Downtown Development Association sends The Downtown Reporter to hundreds
of citizens on the first of the month. Would you like to include news from
your business or organization? Just send the information to HDDA at info@downtownhickory.com and we will let folks know what you'd like for them to hear.
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