Congratulations to both Logan’s Landing and the Walton Main Street organization on their recognition at a statewide Main Street conference last week.
Logan’s Landing had a particularly impressive performance. Not only did the organization win a design award for the Market Street pocket park that features a statue called “The Dancers,” Becki Harris was honored as the statewide director of the year and Pam Leeman was honored as one of three board members of the year.
The recognition came as a surprise to both Harris and Leeman, who thought they were attending to share in the glow of the recognition for Logan’s Landing.
Both, though, are more than deserving of their own.
Harris works hard in her role to promote Logansport’s downtown, organizing promotions and working with businesses to help them achieve their goals, and Leeman has teamed up with fellow board member Kathy Dingo to organize the annual “Dancing With Our Stars” fundraising event. Now heading toward its fourth year, the dancing event has raised well over $100,000 to support efforts to transform downtown Logansport into an arts and design district.
Just last week yet another pocket park took shape in the 400 block of East Broadway, and both Leeman and Dingo were on hand to oversee the project.
Walton’s Main Street organization also received an award for community impact for the work the group had done in painting buildings downtown. The idea behind the project was to spruce up some of the community’s more rundown buildings with an eye toward encouraging others to invest in their properties.
The efforts in both communities are clearly paying off.
Not only are the flowers, the pocket parks and the scattered artworks bringing beauty to downtown Logansport, more and more new businesses are opening there. Local merchants are chasing a dream by opening restaurants and shops in downtown’s historic buildings, and in the process, they are bringing new jobs and tax dollars to the community.
There is still much to do, of course. Both communities still have too many empty buildings downtown.
But the efforts of both organizations are showing progress. Both downtowns are growing more attractive and more vibrant.
It’s a long road to travel, but those involved in both efforts deserve recognition for the progress they have made so far.
Editorials
OUR VIEW: Downtown efforts earn recognition
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OUR VIEW: Scammers seek profit from tragedy
We’re disgusted we even have to write this editorial.
As residents of Oklahoma City and its suburbs barely start the process of picking themselves up off the ground, we’ve already received warnings from state police about scammers looking to make a quick buck off the misfortune of others. -
OUR VIEW: Move over for workers, Ind. drivers
Most motorists already know that state law requires them to change lanes when approaching a stopped emergency or state highway vehicle when its emergency lights are flashing.
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OUR VIEW: Are you prepared for a disaster?
As you read today’s final installment on disaster preparedness, which focuses on earthquakes and their very real threat right here in Indiana, we hope you take the message to heart and make the decision to prepare yourself. If you don’t, no one else will.
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THEIR VIEW: Big Brother looms large in D.C.
The federal government, working under the cloak of secrecy, has been having a heyday at the expense of all Americans.
First we learn the IRS has been targeting conservatives — applications for tax-exempt status by tea party groups were wrongly singled out for extra scrutiny. -
THEIR VIEW: Keep teens safe on the roadways
Indiana was able to achieve welcome decreases in teen-driving deaths after adopting graduated driver’s license laws. But it appears some of the benefits of easing teen drivers more slowly into the responsibilities associated with driving are leveling off.
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THEIR VIEW: Indiana loses a respected leader
At a time when our nation was deeply divided by war, social upheaval and political corruption, Otis R. “Doc” Bowen brought stability to Indiana in his eight years as governor largely through the strength of his personal integrity. He was respected, revered even, not only by fellow Republicans but also by independents and Democrats for his deep commitment to the state and its people.
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OUR VIEW: Litter problem not going away
As press releases started rolling in recently about the 2013 Trash Bash, we were a little shocked at the amount of trash littering our highways.
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THEIR VIEW: Guard kids from caffeinated food
So how gullible are we? Food manufacturers say their caffeine-pumped food is intended for adults. Included in those foods are Jelly Belly “Extreme Sport Beans,” which have 50 mg of caffeine in each 100-calorie pack. A cup of coffee has about 100 mg of caffeine.
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OUR VIEW: Former students keep history alive
History is a funny thing. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. Sure you can go back and try to stitch the pieces together to make a record of a time and place, but the relics of the past are impossible to fully replace.
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THEIR VIEW: U.S. needs to take another look
We welcome an investigation into the handling of intelligence related to suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing.
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