Blossburg V.I.B.E. - Press Release

Blossburg V.I.B.E. Visions in Business & Entertainment

Farmer’s Market and Sleezy BBQ Welcome Spring

Greet spring and support V.I.B.E. Saturday, April 30: The Farmers’ Market sets up at 8 am and the chicken, barbecued by Sleezy Construction, will be ready at 10:30. Dinners are $6, halves $5 and come with a half a chicken, baked beans, macaroni salad and a roll. V.I.B.E. members will be available to answer questions.

The Farmers’ Market team is ready to tackle its second year with new vendors and crafters setting up at the Riverside Plaza every Saturday morning, 8 am - 1 pm, beginning April 30. Vendors pay $5 for the season to participate. For more information, contact team lead Tonya McNamara, 570-638-3112, mcnamara@epix.net.

Blossburg V.I.B.E. Accepts $35,000 in State Grants...

The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development recently awarded Blossburg V.I.B.E. $30,000 for its downtown storefront improvement project. The money is through the department’s New Communities program and also enrolls V.I.B.E. in the Main Street Affiliate program with the Pennsylvania Downtown Center. V.I.B.E. will be also eligible for $25,000 per year for the next three years to continue the storefront project.

In addition, Pennsylvian State Rep. Matt Baker (R-Tioga) worked with V.I.B.E. to acquire an additional $5,000 DCED grant for program planning and further organizational development needs.

... And Unveils Artist’s Vision for Downtown

The east side of Main Street between Carpenter and Hannibal streets is the focus of the first two years of the storefront project. Local artist Sarah Gilkinson created a rendering of what the storefronts could look like if restored, online at http://gallery.insanart.com/blossdesign or on display at 248 Main Street or .

Each storefront owner is eligible to receive up to a $3,000 grant for restoration of the historic look of the building if the owner spends at least $6,000, submits plans to the V.I.B.E. design team and adheres to the guidelines developed by Larson Design Group in conjuntction with the V.I.B.E. deisgn team, DCED and the Pennsylvania Downtown Center.

V.I.B.E. design team members are available to assist with creating plans and submitting the application. For copies of the design guidelines and grant application contact Heidi Jones, 570-638-2486, hij@blossburg.org. For application and planning assistance, contact Heidi, or Shane Nickerson, 570-638-2586/2005, nickerson@epix.net. The V.I.B.E. design team creates ways to get Blossburg’s downtown area into top physical shape with facade, lighting and other physical improvements.

DCED: www.inventpa.com * Pa. Downtown Center: www.padowntown.org * Larson Design Group: www.larsondesigngroup.com * Rep. Matt Baker: www.repbaker.com * Sarah Gilkinson: www.insanart.com

More team news...

The communications team has been busy working on advertising for the fast approaching Coal Festival. We have also been brainstorming on ways to increase the amount of press coverage that V.I.B.E. receives in the local media. The communications team provides support for other V.I.B.E. action teams. Upcoming projects for the communications team include designing a new Blossburg sign and conducting a traffic survey to determine which entrance to town makes more sense for the sign, as well as designing a logo for V.I.B.E. For more information contact Annie Metarko, ametarko@chilitech.net , 570-638-3686.

The Victoria Theatre team, led by Shane Nickerson, is investigating the feasibility of reopening the movie theater which has been dormant since 1975. For more information, contact Shane Nickerson at nickerson@epix.net or 570-638-2005.

The Old Town Hall team is evaluating the restoration of the former Blossburg Borough building which has been vacant since 2004. This unique building celebrates 105 years in 2005. The team is researching ways to restore and rehabilitate the building and return it to its role as a cornerstone of downtown Blossburg, and is collecting historical information and photographs. For more information, contact Lonny Frost, 570-638-2861, poorcartoonist@yahoo.com.

The administration team coordinates meetings, grants, databases and other organizational infrastructure. The team successfully wrote the DCED grant. Blossburg V.I.B.E. is not just a word it is a feeling you get when you participate at the meetings or when you see the new look of our Main Street. Come and feel the V.I.B.E.!

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Community members are also invited to join the Blossburg V.I.B.E. e-mail group:

Go to groups.yahoo.com/group/16912
If you are a member of Yahoo, click the "Join this group" button.
If not a member of Yahoo, click "Sign up"

If you need assistance with the group, contact Joshua Jones, jdj@blossburg.org. The group site has meeting minutes, a message archive and shared files to help keep everyone informed of the group's progress.