Mary Flicek Presented With Main Street Local Lightning Rod Award
May 1 , 2024, St. Paul – This year’s Main Street Local Lightning Rod Award was granted to Mary Flicek, Wabasha Main Street Director, at the Minnesota Main Streets State Conference in Owatonna. This award recognizes an outstanding Main Street Staff Member, Volunteer, or Stakeholder, and the efforts they have put forth in support of Main Street efforts, either event-specific or in general support of the district.
Celebrating each of the Four Points (Design, Economic Vitality, Organization, Promotion) of the Main Street Approach, Minnesota Main Streets awards people, businesses, or organizations that have been catalysts for major change in their district. As an outstanding volunteer who has given thousands of hours of her time, Flicek has been instrumental in creating and maintaining the Wabasha Main Street program.
“It is very easy to say that this Main Street program simply would not exist without the energy, devotion, and care of this individual,” says Rethos Community Programs Director Emily Kurash-Casey. “I’ve been honored to work alongside Mary during my tenure as a local Main Street Director and I’m ceaselessly impressed by their energy, and their deep love of their downtown. It’s not a far stretch to say that this downtown has their fingerprints everywhere, and Wabasha Main Street is a better place for it.”
Over the past seven years, Flicek has been a connector, introducing new people and engaging with and serving on local commissions. She has also generated Historic Preservation publicity, lead local art and beautification projects, managed events, provided construction information, and maintained Main Street America’s Affiliate designation by on-time reporting, attending trainings, seminars, tours, and webinars – all while owning a historic building and operating her downtown business.
The Local Lightning Rod Award began in 2023, recognizing the service happening in Main Street districts in Minnesota. In the early days of the pandemic, artist and storyteller Mary Welcome wrote “We all have the ability to act as both lighthouse and lightning rod for the places we care about.” The idea of acting as a vessel to channel energy and keep places safe came to define the qualities of good people doing good work in good places as the basis for this award.
CONTACT:
Mary Flicek, Wabasha Main Street Director, Wabasha Main Street.
Wabasha Main Street’s Mission: To continue and encourage the collaborative efforts with the City of Wabasha for the economic development in the downtown district while strengthening our historic art and cultural heritage.
Shannon Laing, Minnesota Main Streets Manager
Rethos
shannon@rethos.org
651.377.8069
About Rethos
Rethos, formerly the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose board, staff, and partners work nationwide together to protect and promote communities shared environment and culture. The Minnesota Main Streets program at Rethos helps cities maximize both their people and built assets for economic vitality. Minnesota Main Streets is a Main Street America™ Coordinating Program and provides local Main Street communities with the training, tools, information, and networking they need to reinvigorate their downtown districts. More at https://www.rethos.org.
Sue Mundy Presented With Main Street Community Mobilization Award
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 superstar, at one time owning a downtown gallery and studio herself in a building in the Nationally Registered Historic Wabasha Commercial District. Now as an accomplished artist, project collaborator, educator, activist, and volunteer manager, she has led multiple simultaneous major placemaking initiatives which significantly revitalize and transform both public and private spaces within our historic downtown.”
The Main Street approach to Organization involves creating a strong foundation for a sustainable revitalization effort, including cultivating partnerships, community involvement, and resources for the district. The Community Mobilization Award recognizes an event or initiative in which Main Street worked in tandem with public and private district stakeholders to make their downtowns better places.
CONTACT:
Mary Flicek, Wabasha Main Street Director, Wabasha Main Street.
Shannon Laing, Minnesota Main Streets Manager
Rethos
shannon@rethos.org
651.377.8069
About Rethos
Rethos, formerly the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose board, staff, and partners work nationwide together to protect and promote communities shared environment and culture. The Minnesota Main Streets program at Rethos helps cities maximize both their people and built assets for economic vitality. Minnesota Main Streets is a Main Street America™ Coordinating Program and provides local Main Street communities with the training, tools, information, and networking they need to reinvigorate their downtown districts. More at https://www.rethos.org.
Wabasha Celebrates 8th Annual Shop Small Saturday November 25, 2023
Wabasha Main Street celebrates the 2023 holiday season and 14th Annual Small Business Saturday® by promoting Shop Local, Dine Local events as an American Express® Neighborhood Champion.
Wabasha, MN November 15, 2023. Wabasha Main Street announced today that, as a member of the American Express® Neighborhood Champion Program, it will be partnering with American Express again for its 8th year in promoting Shop Small, Shop Local this Holiday Season as part of Small Business Saturday, which takes place on Nov 25th and all holiday season long. Created by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday celebrates the impact small businesses have on communities across the country.
Wabasha Main Street encourages you to Shop Local, Dine Local and Stay Local first either in person, curbside, delivery, online or virtually. Supporting local helps keep these businesses alive during the holidays and all year long.
In order to drive shoppers to Shop Small® this Nov 25th, Wabasha Main Street is participating in the American Express® Neighborhood Champion Program to spotlight small businesses and the impact they have on communities.
According to the 2019 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, 97% of consumers who shopped on Small Business Saturday agree that small businesses are essential to their community and 95% reported the day makes them want to shop or eat at small, independently-owned
businesses all year long, not just during the holiday season.
Wabasha Main Street has been hosting Shop Small Saturday for the past 7 years. This year’s event will have more participating merchants and local businesses promoting Holiday sales, registrations for door prizes and open houses as well as giving away free Shop Small gifts and swag to customers as a way to thank them for shopping local first.
See our Facebook page and Instagram account for more business highlights and events. Follow the Wabasha Main Street at wabashamainstreet.org.
Merchants and consumers can learn more about Shop Small, Small Business Saturday and how to get involved by visiting ShopSmall.com
Contact:
Mary E. Flicek, Wabasha Main Street Director 651-380-9035
wabashamainstreet@gmail.com
“Public Places are Sacred Spaces” Mural
A new mural project is complete in Wabasha, MN! Local artist, Sue Mundy designed a 10′ by 55′ foot mural located on the back of the Hill’s Hardware Hank overlooking the new amphitheater and the Mississippi River. Part of this activity is made possible through a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council in cooperation with a private foundation.
The mural is complete and the artists have signed it. We are still taking donations and will announce a Public invitation to the dedication very soon.
Follow this project on the Wabasha Main Street Facebook Page.
Interested in Supporting this Project?
Wabasha is Open for Business
Construction is still underway but downtown businesses are still open! Use the directory of downtown businesses to find parking options.
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2023 Street & Utility Reconstruction Update – January 23, 2023
Project Update
A preliminary phasing plan has been developed for the project to aid in managing access during construction. The specific timing of each phase is dependent on the constructor’s schedule of work. Once the contractor is selected in the spring more information on specific timing of phasing will be provided.
Reminder: We encourage businesses that front the project area to fill out the Business Questionnaire if this information has not been provided yet.
Please feel free to reach out with any questions to Katy Gehler, Katy.Gehler@bolton-