Smithville Main Street aims to sustain momentum with family events and new branding

Alicia, a Main Street representative, told the Smithville Board of Aldermen at a work session that the group’s top priorities for the coming year are to sustain recent momentum, emphasize the community aspects of events and bring more people downtown to support new businesses. "Try and really focus on the community aspect of the events and encompassing the entire community with whatever we do," Alicia said.

The Main Street team said it worked with a marketing company and a longtime local volunteer liaison to develop a new logo and color scheme designed for use on the website and social media. Board members asked whether the Main Street logo was distinct from a separate city logo effort and were told the Main Street branding is intended for event and downtown promotion rather than city-wide identity.

Main Street also described an effort to add more family-friendly programming this year, including scavenger hunts around town, and reported positive feedback from participants. Alicia said those activities and a higher number of new downtown businesses have helped increase foot traffic and interest.

Board members and staff discussed coordination with other civic organizations, naming the Chamber and Parks and Recreation as standing partners; Main Street also aligns events with recurring community activities (for example, Junkville and the Barbecue Bash) to maximize participation. Alicia said other civic groups are welcome to team up on events.

The presentation closed with staff gratitude for the report; no formal action was taken. Staff said materials, including the Main Street memo and logo files, are available in the packet for follow-up.