Main Street Promotion and Events

Promotion

The Main Street staff also constantly works to promote downtown businesses and create a positive image of the commercial district. Main Street has created various concentrated marketing campaigns to promote downtown including “Shop Local” and “Get It” Downtown, as well as shopping and dining guides that highlight local merchants and restaurants. Main Street has assisted retailers with retail promotions such as “Girls Night Out”, “Think Third Thursday”, “16 New Faces of Downtown”, sidewalk sales, holiday open houses, and more. Main Street funds three billboards to promote and direct visitors into downtown, and Main Street distributes a biweekly e-mail newsletter (D2U) that highlights downtown events and activities.

Events

Main Street also helps produces many community events including the ACC Chili Cook-Off, the Halloween Spooktacular, and the Christmas Parade, which are sponsored by the Downtown Development Association. The Main Street department staffs the Historic Morganton Festival, Inc., a now self-sustaining non-profit that produces the downtown farmers markets, the TGIF Free Friday-night Concert Series, and the annual Historic Morganton Festival. These events draw thousands of residents and visitors into downtown every year and people from all over the region have the opportunity to see what downtown Morganton has to offer.