Old Buildings, New Attitudes

Archive for November, 2009

Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street will host the Mayor’s Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony on Friday, November 20, 2009, at 6:30 pm in Howard Station Park at the corner of Third and SE Main. The event is sponsored by Bank of Lee’s Summit.

The Mayor will light the downtown with over 100,000 SPARKLING lights. Free hot chocolate and cookies, musical performances and a visit from Santa, Mrs. Claus and his elves will get you in the holiday spirit! Bring your camera and snap photos with Santa, then stay awhile and visit businesses open late until 9 pm.

New this year is the Snowball Drop, where 2,000 white ping pong balls will fall from the sky. Each snowball will list a great discount at a participating downtown store. The discounts may be used throughout the weekend, November 20-22.

Visitors are encouraged to find on-street parking, or to park in the parking garage located at the corner of 2nd and Green by City Hall.

For more information about Downtown Lee’s Summit, please visit www.downtownls.org.

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.

 

Downtown Lee’s Summit is proud to present the Whoville Kids Area. Located in the Vogue retail space, 315 SE Douglas, the Whoville Kids Area is an indoor wonderland of activities and crafts unlike any holiday attraction in the metro area. It will be open on Saturday, November 7th from 10 am to 4 pm. An admission donation is requested.

The Whoville Kids Area will recreate the land of the Whos, from Dr. Seuss’ popular holiday story How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Kids can make Grinch masks, do puzzles, complete Whoville coloring pages, enjoy holiday treats, and much more. At the Sparkle Station, kids can make sparkly ornaments to help decorate the Mayor’s Tree in Howard Station Park. Kids can even get their picture taken with The Grinch, so parents should be sure to pack cameras.

“We wanted to create a unique holiday attraction for kids and families in downtown Lee’s Summit,” says Shannon Fossnight, chairperson of the event and owner of downtown Lee’s Summit business Green Beauty Salon & Day Spa. “Whoville will bring this beloved holiday story to life for kids. It will be unlike anything they have seen before!”

An admission donation of $5 is requested, with half going to Lee’s Summit Social Services to help support the needs of families in Lee’s Summit. Parents are asked to stay and supervise their children while they participate in the activities.

Whoville is presented by the Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street’s Promotions Committee in partnership with Pycior + Co. For more information about holiday events in downtown Lee’s Summit, visit www.downtownls.org.

Over 40 FREE holiday-themed classes will be offered this weekend during the Traditional Holiday Open House (Friday, November 6 – Sunday, November 8).  Classes range from “Happy Hour Holiday Hair” to “Making the Perfect Bow.” You can attend as many classes as you like, and no advanced registration is necessary.

Downtown Lee’s Summit Main Street will kick off the holiday season with its Traditional Holiday Open House November 6-8, 2009. Over 40 free classes, extended shopping hours, a Whoville Kids Area and a chance to win a variety of downtown gift certificates make this a holiday celebration worth experiencing.

Over 40 classes will be offered over the three days, on topics such as holiday door swags, making the perfect bow, holiday scrapbook pages, happy hour holiday hair, and more.  All classes are free, and no advanced registration is necessary. Many products used in the classes will be available for purchase.  A complete class schedule can be downloaded from the “downtown events” tab at www.downtownls.org.

Kids can also join in the fun at the Whoville Kids Area. Located in the Vogue retail space, 315 SE Douglas, it will be open on Saturday, November 7th from 10 am to 4 pm. A $5 admission donation is requested to benefit Lee’s Summit Social Services.   Whoville Kids Area will recreate the land of the Whos, from Dr. Seuss’ popular holiday story How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Kids can make Grinch masks, do puzzles, complete Whoville coloring pages, enjoy holiday treats, and much more. At the Sparkle Station, kids can make sparkly ornaments to help decorate the Mayor’s Tree in Howard Station Park. Kids can even get their picture taken with The Grinch, so parents should be sure to pack cameras.

Downtown businesses will also feature new holiday merchandise, and kick off the holiday shopping season with extended hours. Over 30 businesses will be open Fridays from 10:00 am – 9:00 pm and Sundays from Noon – 4:00 pm beginning Friday, November 6^th until Sunday, December 20^th.  While shopping, be sure to enter to win a variety of downtown gift certificates. Customers may also enter to win an all-inclusive trip to the Riviera Maya throughout the holiday shopping season, November 6^th – December 23^rd.

For more information about the Traditional Holiday Open House, or other holiday activities in Downtown Lee’s Summit, please visit www.downtownls.org or call 816-246-6598.