News & Events

Minnesota Main Streets by Rethos announces applications are now being accepted for the second round of Looking Up Downtown grants. The Minnesota Main Streets Looking Up Downtown grant program will fund the historic rehabilitation of currently vacant or underutilized upper floors into productive use. Business or building owners within a Minnesota Main Street historic district may apply for up to $75,000 in funding. This competitive grant will fund historic rehabilitation and revitalization of historic buildings located in Minnesota Main Streets districts across the state. Minnesota Main Streets by Rethos is the Main Street America Coordinating Partner. The Looking Up Downtown grant is being funded by the National Park Service (NPS) Paul Bruhn grant. To view the application and associated information, click here. LOOKING UP DOWNTOWN FAQ’S What is Looking Up Downtown? The Minnesota Main Streets “Looking Up” program assists owners of historic rural downtown buildings with the rehabilitation of second-story spaces. This is a competitive grant program funded by Rethos through a $700,000 Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant from the National Park Service. To read more about the Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grant Program, click here. Who can take advantage of Looking Up? Business or building owners [...]

We’re excited to announce the upcoming launch of the Big Jo Presenter Series, a new community-focused event series coming soon to the Amphitheater in Big Jo Alley. This free series will bring people together to connect, learn, and celebrate the incredible work being done across our region. Each event will feature local nonprofit organizations, with sponsor groups hosting tables where attendees can learn more about their missions and community impact. While all events are free to attend, free-will donations will be welcomed to support participating organizations. The Big Jo Presenter Series is made possible through the generous support of local businesses, community organizations, and funding from a SMIF grant. We look forward to activating the Amphitheater space and creating a vibrant gathering place for the community.

Minnesota Bound Minnesota Bound visits the river town of Wabasha for a winter adventure! ❄️ Coffee Mill Skiing Artist Sue Mundy Wabasha Bird City Airboat Ice Fishing Guide Episode #1160

Shop Local - Win Prizes - Support Small Businesses Spend $10 or more at participating locations before December 29th and receive a passport stamp.  Collect 5 stamps to enter weekly prize drawings! Enter as many completed passports as you'd like!

Please join us all day for winter wonderland activities all over town. Meet Mr. & Mrs. Claus in the chamber office from 2:30-5:30pm before the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at 6pm. Live music, food, and fun for all! Complimentary cookies & cocoa in the REMAX office!

Board Members: (Left to Right) Vice President - Sherri Murphy Director - Mary Flicek Board Member and Design Award Winner - Janet Runions Treasurer - Craig Falkum

Outstanding Volunteer Award: Rethos recognizes that our work in historic preservation and building reuse depends upon the generous and enthusiastic support of our volunteers. We rely on volunteers to welcome guests to dozens of venues during Doors Open Minneapolis, teach DIY homeowner classes, help with important research and office responsibilities, and the list goes on. Nominees for this award have demonstrated a particularly stellar capacity to represent Rethos while sharing their time and energy in the furtherance of our mission. This year’s Outstanding Volunteer Award goes to Mary Flicek Mary has served as Wabasha Main Streets volunteer director for over 8  years and has been involved with Main Street for much longer. It is very easy to say the Wabasha Main Street program simply would not exist without the energy, devotion, and care of Mary Flicek. Mary’s leadership in Main Street efforts has been tremendous in changing the landscape of downtown Wabasha. As an Affiliate Main Street Community for the past eight years, all activity taken place by the Wabasha Main Street program has been volunteer—including all of Mary’s time and energy. There is no task to big or small for this Mary—whether it’s introducing new [...]

Minnesota Main Streets by Rethos announces applications are now being accepted for the first round of Looking Up Downtown grants. The Minnesota Main Streets Looking Up Downtown grant program will fund the historic rehabilitation of currently vacant or underutilized upper floors into productive use. Business or building owners within a Minnesota Main Street historic district may apply for up to $50,000 in funding. This competitive grant will fund two rounds of historic rehabilitation and revitalization of historic buildings located in Minnesota Main Streets districts across the state. Learn More → Request Application

May 1 , 2024, St. Paul – This year’s Main Street Community Mobilization Award was granted to Wabash artist Sue Mundy at the Minnesota Main Streets State Conference in Owatonna. Celebrating each of the Four Points (Design, Economic Vitality, Organization, Promotion) of the Main Street Approach, Minnesota Main Streets awards a person who has been a catalyst for major change in their district. For her positive effect in Organization, Sue Munday was honored not only for her efforts on Wabasha Main Street’s “Public Places are Sacred Spaces” Mural, but also for her work on many projects and installations in Wabasha’s downtown. With her exceptional community leadership, managing 40+ individual volunteers and more than 750 hours of community volunteerism including the planning, design, painting, and presenting of each mural, Mundy has collaborated with Wabasha’s Main Street Program to steward funding from the Artists on Main Street program, Blandin Foundation, Southeast Minnesota Arts Council, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, Wabasha-Kellogg Area Community Foundation, and more than 15 corporate and individual donors. Additionally, there were collaborations on two mural compositions with Wabasha poet Pam Larson, and Minnesota artists Jalayahraven Whitecloud and Inkpa Mani. Wabasha Mayor Emily Duran shared, “Sue is a Main Street [...]