Issue:

August 27, 2009

 

Dear Friends of Main Street,   As I watch Monday Night Football between the Ravens and NY Jets, I am reminded how we all have talents that when brought together in a cohesive fashion, accomplishes great yardage towards the goal.  The Board of Directors is the QB, the Chairman of the Board is the Owner, the Commissioners are the Special Teams, I serve as the Head Coach, My Committee Directors are the Assistant Coaches with the businesses acting the players.   For Main Street the goal is to sustain business, increase economic growth and preserve our heritage for generations to come.   I invite each of you to search for what small 'play' you can make that will get us closer to the goal.  It can be helping with street decorations, just picking up a piece of trash you notice, coming out to the Thursday Farmers Market or the Saturday Arts and Crafts.  It could be just calling me and saying I will bring the ice or paper products for a Main Street function or it could be donating an old piece of furniture for the UMES picnic......each and every effort lifts Princess Anne, our town, our home that much closer to a touchdown.     I feel very blessed to be part of such an historic time, to be a guiding force for such a great endeavor.  Years from now I hope we all reflect back to these humble beginnings and be in awe of how far we have come.  All My Best,   Carolyn Marquis Executive Director   Main Street Princess Anne (410) 651-2961 mainstprincessanne@yahoo.com

 

New Welcome Sign and Landscaping

We're working to improve signage around Town. This is one of the projects we have completed.  Thank you to John Nicholson and his Design Committee for all their work on this project.    We are working on other Design projects around Town.  If you want to join-in and help contact me.

 

UMES Hawk Nest

Its back to school for over 1,000 freshman at UMES.  I am honored that Commissioner Hayward would so graciously open the most prestigious doors at UMES to Princess Anne Main Street.  The end result is that each UMES Vice President will be briefed on Princess Anne Main Street and we will move ahead to forge a true partnership.   As the Main Street Promotional Committee works closely with the UMES Alumni House and the Office of Student Affairs, we are now building bridges that will go a long way to cement a network that works jointly to highlight UMES events and Princess Anne events, and encourages visitors to all events, to venture into Princess Anne.    Main Street Princess Anne was lucky to be the first table at the Student Services Building to greet UMES Freshman and their parents as they arrived for their first day!  Justin Schaub of Peaky's helped man the table and Commissioner/alumni Garland Hayward dropped by for a visit..  We collected over 300 contacts of students and parents that want to recieve our newsletter that covers town information.  Many parents felt this was a great service of the town so that they can hear about what is going on while they are apart from their kids for the first time.  If any business would like to participate with me as we do the same for the upper classman, please let me know.  You can bring some of your business information! Be a Hawk!  Beginning September 14th, Founders Week is here in Princess Anne!  Fireworks, a concert and many other great happenings.  Main Street is designing a banner that will hang across Somerset Avneue that reads, "UMES and Princess Anne; Painting the Town Together - Maroon and Gray!" and we hope to also have maroon and gray balloons, streamers and other decorations on the street posts.  Please contact me if your business or home would like the hawk logo to display in your window to show our support.      Also during Founders' Week:   Main Street and UMES are co-sponsoring a special group tour of the historical highlights of UMES and the town's historic district, featuring a lunch at the Washington Hotel.   Also, Peaky's will be featuring a special on 'Hawk Wings' throughout Founders' Week.   Mark this date:  9/17/09  1-3 Back to School Picnic for UMES to celebrate Founders' Week.   I am trying to coordinate a picnic in the park for founder's week.  I am hoping that the businesses of Princess Anne will step up to the plate like they always do and volunteer to supply some much needed assistance.  Main Street needs:  hotdogs, rolls, condiments, chips, pickles, sodas, ice and paper products.  If you can be a Main Street Angel, and help me show UMES what a great town we are, I would greatly appreciate it.  Just email me your pledge/promise to bring what you can the day before the picnic!    UMES will also be partnering with Main Street in other future events.    Main Street and the Business School at UMES will also be partnering to formulate and execute a market research project that will make an inventory of vacant businesses, look for business opportunities, and make recommendations for sustainable solutions.

 

Main Street Princess Anne Happenings

Last week I attended the Main Street Conference in Annapolis as one of the five 'freshman Main Streets'  in Maryland.  There are now a total of 23 Main Streets and I was very surprised to see from a map that the Eastern Shore of Maryland has a very strong presence as far as Main Streets go, surpassing many more metropolitan areas.  On the Eastern Shore we have Chestertown, Easton, Cambridge,  Princess Anne and Berlin. It was recommended that Eastern Shore Main Streets become more cohesive between quarterly meetings so now we will be communicating and sharing information on a monthly basis.    As a follow-up, I invited the Maryland Main Street Program Officer, Tim Murphy to visit us in Princess Anne, as one of their newest Main Streets, and he took me up on the offer last Friday.  We had a meeting on expectations, shared challenges and then he walked the streets of Princess Anne with me.  He had many positive things to say about Princess Anne, let us all know about the expectations and requirements to maintain our designation and will be back later this Fall to give a presentation to the Commissioners.  Most of the Main Street Committee leaders were in attendance as was Commissioner Hayward and Commissioner Williams also stopped in to say hello.  As Tim left, he let me know how impressed he was with those he had met and with the town itself.    I also met with Danny Thompson to discuss economic developments (EDC) to diminish any redundancy in efforts and to develop a county network for future knowledge sharing.  I am happy to say that there is little to no redundancy as we/Main Street,  begins to map economic restructuring efforts (i.e. market research study, business plan competition, business incentives).   I will be researching lessons learned and best practices in the Main Street database on business incentives and be formulating proposals to forward to the Commissioners and to the EDC..   Anyone interested in being a part of the Main Street Economic Restructuring Committee,  please feel free to contact me.

 

"THANK YOU" For All You've Done

Main Street Princess Anne would like to commend the efforts and dedication of Charlotte Scharf who is stepping down as the head of the Main Street Promotion Committee.  Charlotte will continue to be involved - she has always been a great force in Main Street and pours many volunteer hours towards our efforts.    She will be greatly missed as a Committee head and will always be a BFF of Main Street!

 

WELCOME NEW COMMITTEE HEADS

Jean du Nord has graciously accepted a nomination to head the Promotion Committee and is putting together her team.  If you want to be a part of this great effort, chase her down or contact me. The Promotion Committee works on marketing, events, outreach and arts and entertainment.  Jeanne created and runs the very successful Chesapeake Celtic Festival at Furnace Town.  Jeanne is also an actress, author, and an award-winning playwright.  Her latest book "Makepeace - the Roots of American Liberty" is a historical narrative and chronicle of the early settlers on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay.  Justin Schaub of Peaky's restaurant has graciously accepted a nomination to head the Organization Committee and will be putting together his team.  If you want to be part of his great effort, chase him down or contact me.  The Organizational Committee works on newsletter coordination, web content, volunteer recruitment and appreciation, fundraising and project planning. Committees meet monthly and each Committee Director also meets with me monthly.  I then meet with the Main Street Board of Directors on a quarterly basis.    There is also the Design Committee led by John Nicholson that works on building preservation and design.  Let me know if you would like to get involved with his group.    One other Main Street Committee is the Economic Restructuring Committee, led by Jay Parker.  This is where vacant structures inventory project, marketing research, and business incentives reside.  Grab me if you want to be a part of this great team.   Did you get a piece of the Princess? The façade grants are still around!  Out of the 18 businesses that picked up an application, there have only been 4 that turned them in for reimbursement.  This is a great program!  Take advantage of what the local government has gone to great lengths to offer.  Please see Pam at the Town Hall to get yours in as soon as possible!

 

EVENTS

Winter Wonderland in Princess Anne is now forming to create a great holiday experience.  There are window displays planned and a contest.  We've got the movie and pizza with Santa planned and hope to get some other decorations to really make Main Street sparkle.  Lets light her up!  Let me know if you want to get in the holiday spirit and help.   Plein Air is now planned as a future activity.  As coordination began on this event, it became evident that much more is needed to properly plan such an event.  We are now shooting for next June.   Mark this date:  9/17/09  1-3 Back to School Picnic for UMES to celebrate Founder's Week.  I am trying to coordinate a picnic in the park for founder's week.  I am hoping that the businesses of Princess Anne will step up to the plate like they always do and volunteer to supply some much needed assistance.  Main Street needs:  hotdogs, rolls, condiments, chips, pickles, sodas, ice and paper products.  If you can be a Main Street Angel, and help me show UMES what a great town we are, I would greatly appreciate it.  Just email me your pledge/promise to bring what you can the day before the picnic!

 

UMES HOMECOMING, FEBRUARY 2010

Its not as far away as you think.  UMES is giving away 500 nylon backbags stuffed with UMES pompoms, waterbottles, Hawk fans and seat cushions.  If you are a business, and want to provide a Backbag give-away/stuffer such as a pen or ruler, discount information, or just a business card, I will need 500 by 1/1/10.  You can also elect to have your business logo on any of the UMES items I mentioned. The students, their parents and alumni will love it!  Besides it can also be FREE MARKETING!

 

New Princess Anne Farmers' Market

The Market participates in the MD Dept. of Ag. Farmers Market Nutrition Program and most vendors accept WIC and Seniors coupons for eligible produce.    Join us at the Market for Fresh, Local and Healthy foods, and support our local Farmers!   Featured Items and Products      The first Heirloom tomatoes are ripe and also sweet corn and melons are in good supply.     Featured Vendors:     J.R.'s Pickles & Things Freshly made pickles, including garlic, dill, bread and butter, pickled green tomatoes, an assortment of relishes, and more!   Chesapeake Bay Farms  Worcester County's only dairy farm brings us their gourmet line of dairy products including Hand Churned Butter, Artisan Cheese and home made Ice Cream.   Long Point Oyster Ranch We now have quality Cultured Oysters. See Uncle Ernie for a taste and tips on opening your oysters.   Farmers' Market Details   Where:  Manokin River Park   When:  Thursdays from 3 to 6 pm

 

Organic Greg's Farmers' Market Tip

Bring your own tote bags to the market. Recycle individual plastic bags, by bringing them with you and asking dealers to use them instead of theirs.   Stop by the market and get some helpful tips from Joy and Albert or Organic Greg.

 

We hope you've found this Newsletter informative and will forward it to others who may be interested in our efforts.  We'd also like to hear about your Newsletter ideas.  Won't you join us...    Sincerely,   Carolyn Marquis and the Main Street Princess Anne Partnership    Main Street Princess Anne is sponsored by the Town of Princess Anne, the Princess Anne Chamber of Commerce, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and the Somerset County Historical Trust.