Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Beginning Wednesday, Warsaw will be the Main Street of downtown development in Indiana.
For three days, Warsaw will host the annual statewide Main Street conference, which is expected to attract nearly 250 business and community people from around Indiana.
So how does a small Indiana town host a major statewide conference?
They use what they've got.
In Warsaw's case, that means using multiple medium-sized conference rooms throughout the city, said Trish Brown, director of Warsaw Community Development Corp., which organized the conference.
The conference will use the Ramada Plaza Hotel, the Kosciusko County Foundation office, Zimmer's downtown headquarters, Kosciusko County Justice Building and Courthouse Coffee.
That strategy was used last year when the Main Street conference was in Madison.
"They found it to be very effective because it allowed people to have the opportunity to walk around downtown and also use different facilities to highlight different aspects of downtown development," Brown said.
Main Street is geared toward revitalizing downtowns through various economic development strategies.
The WCDC operates the local Main Street Program, and the city was a charter member of the organization when it was created a dozen years ago.
The conference will feature nearly 20 workshops ranging from utilizing grant money to maximizing the use of volunteers to boost the downtown.
Guests will also tour the community and see some of the examples of successful downtown community development.
Indiana's first lady, Judy O'Bannon, a major advocate of the state's Main Street program, will speak at the opening session Wednesday morning at Ramada Plaza Hotel.
Lt. Gov. Joe Kernan will deliver the keynote speech at noon Friday at the Ramada.
One side benefit will be the exposure to the city by people from throughout the state.
It's an excellent showcase for the city," Brown said.
The local tour will highlight the city's use of the tax increment finance building near Central Park, the Biblical Gardens and some of the downtown renovations.
Some of the workshop speakers will include Joan Flanagan, a nationally recognized fund-raising expert; Jon Schallert, of Schallert and Associates, who will talk about integrated marketing plans; and Joe Andrew, spokesman for the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.
The conference is still accepting guests, and Brown said the conference sessions can be valuable for local businesses and town leaders.
"This is a good opportunity for local businesses to take advantages of educational opportunities for economic development for downtowns," she said.
"Anybody who's involved in a small town can benefit from this information," she said.
Brown said membership in the Main Street program or the WCDC is not a requirement for participation.
