Old Buildings, New Attitudes

Archive for the ‘Awards’ Category

 

The Fifth Annual Emerald Isle St. Patrick’s Day Parade was held Saturday, March 13, in Downtown Lee’s Summit. Over 60 floats and 800 people entered the parade. Despite the cold temperature and rain, many spectators watched along the parade route.

The theme for this year’s parade was “Show me your heritage – what’s in your Irish stew?” Entries interpreted the theme in various ways, including flying the flags of their ancestors, sharing favorite Irish music or showcasing traditional Irish dancers. In the end, seven awards were given out which included: St. Patrick’s Award (Best Irish Theme) – Doherty & Sullivan’s Irish Goods; Shamrock Award (Best Business Entry) – O’Riada Dance Academy; Best Float Award – Helms Grandkids & Family; Best Marching Unit – Lee’s Summit Community Christian School Cheer Squad; Best Musical Entry – KC Drum Tribe; Best Vehicle Award – KC Jeep Club; and Most Unique -Troy Lentz’ electrical vehicle. All winners were presented with trophies following the parade.

An Emerald Isle coloring contest was also held in conjunction with the parade. Lee’s Summit preschool and elementary school children were invited to get creative and color a picture of a leprechaun sliding down a rainbow into a pot of gold. After reviewing nearly 100 entries, judges picked the following winners: 1st Place – Kendra G.; 2nd Place – Hayden T.; 3rd Place – Anamaria S.; Pre-school -Clay H. All coloring contest winners received gift certificates to downtown businesses.

This year’s Grand Marshall was Kathy Smith, President of the Lee’s Summit Historical Society and Lee’s Summit Historic Preservation Commission. Parade co-chairs included Chuck Denton of Doherty & Sullivan’s Irish Goods and Mary Pechar of Green Beauty Salon & Day Spa. Parade sponsors were Bank of Lee’s Summit and The Lee’s Summit Journal.

The Emerald Isle St. Patrick’s Day Parade is presented by Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the revitalization of Downtown Lee’s Summit. For more information, please visit www.downtownls.org or call 816-246-6598.

This Old House magazine has recognized Old Lee’s Summit, Missouri, as one of their Best Old House Neighborhoods 2010. The Old Lee’s Summit area surrounds the downtown Lee’s Summit historic business district, and includes four historic neighborhoods listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, Inc. (DLSMS), nominated the Old Lee’s Summit area for This Old House magazine’s third annual Best Places to Buy an Old House contest, which led to the selection. Sarah Shore, Assistant Director of DLSMS, is pleased with the recognition. “One of our organization’s goals is to elevate the image of Downtown Lee’s Summit in the region, and nationally. Our vibrant downtown, and the quality historic neighborhoods that surround it, set us apart from other communities. We are pleased that This Old House magazine has recognized Lee’s Summit with its selection.”

The Old Lee’s Summit area includes homes within a wide range of prices and with a variety of architectural styles, including 1880′s farmhouses, early 1900′s Queen Anne’s, colonial revivals, 1920′s craftsmen bungalows, and post WW-II cottages. Neighborhood schools and parks, walkable streets, affordable homes and proximity to the downtown business district make the Old Lee’s Summit area popular among new and long-time residents.

A total of fifty-one neighborhoods, one from each state, were selected as Best Old House Neighborhoods with Old Lee’s Summit being the selection from Missouri. This Old House magazine notes the “bustling” downtown commercial district and excellent public schools as a reason to buy in the Old Lee’s Summit area, and describes Lee’s Summit as a “quintessential suburb” with year-round events and a revitalized downtown.

Lee’s Summit City Manager, Stephen Arbo, is also pleased with the selection. “It is an honor to know that Lee’s Summit has been selected for this distinction. There are many stakeholders involved in the success of our downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. Our Mayor and City Council have been implementing a tool called the “Downtown Master Plan” to keep our common vision; Creating a sense of place in the heart of our city. Investing in an older home requires significant financial and emotional commitments. We want to do all that we can to reward and encourage these types of community investments in the future.”

A full list of the Best Old House Neighborhoods 2010 can be found on This Old House magazine’s website, http://www.thisoldhouse.com.

Downtown Lee’s Summit, Missouri, has been chosen as a semi-finalist for the 2010 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA). Award winners will be announced in May 2010 at the National Main Streets Conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, Inc. (DLSMS), a 501c3 non-profit and the nominating organization, is a nationally-accredited Main Street program through the National Trust Main Street Center, a division of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The GAMSA® Award recognizes communities that are implementing successful downtown revitalization strategies, and all communities selected must have accredited Main Street programs that follow the Main Street Four-Point Approach® to commercial district revitalization. One of ten semi-finalists selected in the United States, downtown Lee’s Summit will complete a rigorous final application process. A panel of downtown revitalization professionals will select five communities to win the GAMSA® Award.

Lee’s Summit’s Mayor Karen Rose Messerli released a statement after the selection was announced. “Congratulations to Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street on the great honor of being chosen as a semifinalist for the 2010 Great American Main Street Award. Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street’s inclusion among this list of semifinalists, across the country, is evidence that our beautiful downtown is quickly emerging from a local treasure and the heart of our community into a much deserved national spotlight. I couldn’t be more proud.”

According to Jeanine Rann, Executive Director of Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street, their organization has been implementing downtown revitalization strategies for twenty years “I am thrilled that we have been recognized at the National level for all of the hard work and investment our community, volunteers, partners and staff have put into the downtown revitalization effort. This reinforces what we have believed all along, that great strategic planning that is incremental and focuses on quality will result in great community pride and an economically healthy business district”.

The 2009 GAMSA® Award winners were: Livermore, California; Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; El Dorado, Arkansas; Federal Hill – Baltimore, Maryland; and Broadway District – Green Bay, Wisconsin.

DLSMS is one of only four nationally-accredited Main Street programs in the state of Missouri. There are over 1,200 regional, state, and local programs in the United States. DLSMS was recently honored with the Greatest Achievement Award for best downtown revitalization organization by the Missouri Main Street Connection, the state Main Street coordinating program. DLSMS has been implementing revitalization strategies for twenty years.

For more information about Downtown Lee’s Summit, please visit http://www.downtownls.org. For more information about the GAMSA® Awards, please visit http://www.preservationnation.org/gamsa.