News from the Nebraska Lied Main Street Program
Contact J.L. Schmidt Director at 402-890-9063

 

FOR RELEASE SUNDAY OCTOBER 14, 2007

 

MINDEN – Main Street projects in Beatrice, Sidney and Wayne were the big winners in the 2007 Awards of Excellence presented here Sunday by the Nebraska Lied Main Street Program.  

 

Judges said the Best Streetscape over $50,000 was in downtown Wayne and the best new infill building construction, State National Bank and Trust, also in Wayne. Both projects received Awards of Excellence. Jacob’s Room in Wayne received honored recognition in the under $10,000 façade improvement category.

 

The banquet room expansion of the Black Crow Restaurant and the residential interior improvement at Yesterday’s Lady in Beatrice won awards of excellence for Best Interior Improvement Commercial and Residential respectively. The Main Street Beatrice Craze Daze event won honored recognition in the best retail event category.

 

Façade Improvement Awards under $10,000 for the Accents Home Décor and over $10,000 for the Insurance Store won Awards of Excellence in Sidney. The Buck Forty Days event in Sidney won honored recognition as a special event.

 

Main Street of Fremont also received an Award of Excellence for Best Streetscape over $50,000 and three honored recognitions for:  the Candlelight Tour of Homes in the creative fundraising category; the Main Street website in the communications, marketing and image development category; and Halloween Hysteria in the special events category.

 

Burwell Main Street received an Award of Excellence in the Streetscape under $50,000 category.

The façade improvements at Sandstone Grill in downtown Burwell received honored recognition in the under $10,000 façade improvement category. Eric’s Café, a popular promotion during the annual Celebrate Patriotism event in Geneva, received honored recognition in the special events category.  Antiques Off Main in Plattsmouth received honored recognition in the category of Historic Building Rehabilitation.

 

The state Main Street program unveiled a new award, the Leading by Example, Friend of Main Street Award in recognition of significant financial or other support of a local Main Street program, its projects or events. The initial award was presented to Cabela’s of Sidney to honor a generous financial gift to Historic Downtown Sidney for façade improvements to downtown businesses. When the company bought and remodeled the old Alco Store downtown with plans to move 200 employees to the site they gave the city money for park improvements and to enhance the existing façade renovation program for downtown buildings.

 Merchants of the Year selected by the local Main Street organizations were: Beatrice, Joe Billesbach and family from Leo’s Jewelry; Burwell, Jodee Burnham and Karen Spanel from Dry Creek Western Wear; Elkhorn Station, John Housley Sr.; Fremont, Bev Rosenbaum from Kollmeyer’s Gifts; Geneva, Patty Roper-Epperson from Cumberlands Fashions; Grand Island, Mark Stelk of General Collection Company; Plattsmouth, Terri O’Brien from Seams to Be Quilt Shoppe; Sidney, Larry Fraas of Larry’s Clothing; Wayne, Curt and Coleen Jeffries of Copy Write Publishing and Keepsake Video Production and Custom Framing.

 

Volunteers of the Year selected by the local Main Street organizations were: Beatrice, Judi Knowles; Burwell, Janet Hanna; Elkhorn Station, Linda Middleton; Fremont, Margaret Stahl; Geneva, Main Street Gardeners; Grand Island, K.C. Hehnke; Plattsmouth, Jan Sandoz; Sidney, Greg Huck; Wayne, Reggie Yates.

 

Four new Designated Main Street communities were also formally announced. They are Alliance, Kearney, Nebraska City and York.  Special welcoming events will be held in those communities in the next month.

 

The awards were presented by Nebraska Lt. Governor Rick Sheehy and Lied Main Street Governing Board Chairman Wayne Drummond, Dean of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Architecture.  

 

The Nebraska Lied Main Street Program is dedicated to educating and supporting communities in revitalizing historic business districts through the Main Street Four-Point Approach ™.

 

The program operates in cooperation with the University of Nebraska College of Architecture, the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, Nebraska Department of Roads, Nebraska State Historical Society, the National Trust Main Street Center, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Lied Foundation Trust.