| Harrisburg, PA – Pennsylvania Downtown Center (PDC) announces 10 Townie award recipients for 2020. The Townie Awards are a festive and esteemed annual tradition designed to recognize the commonwealth’s core communities and individuals for creation and implementation of projects, programs and events that exemplify the goals of PDC’s community revitalization mission. Eligible communities are part of Pennsylvania Downtown Center’s statewide network of nearly 200 organizations, including Main Street and Elm Street programs, making the Townies a competitive award process each year.
Pennsylvania Downtown Center’s executive director, Julie Fitzpatrick, said “The annual Townie awards provide an opportunity for us to celebrate these exceptional and inspiring community revitalization projects throughout our commonwealth. Our Main Street and Elm Street programs, staff, board, and volunteers work tirelessly throughout the year to make impactful change in their business districts and neighborhoods, and the Townies give us a chance to reflect on these success stories. The work of community revitalization is never done, it is an ever-evolving community effort. Although the 2020 award winners celebrate projects completed prior to the pandemic, PA’s Main Street and Elm Street programs have continued to provide responsive and innovative programming throughout this past year as well.”
The awards ceremony typically takes place as part of PDC’s annual statewide conference, held in a different commonwealth community each year highlighting the respective city or town’s accomplishments in community and neighborhood revitalization. This year’s conference in Reading has been postponed until 2021 when both 2020 and 2021 Townie Award winners will be recognized. This year’s winners will be featured in PDC’s winter newsletter, the “CenterPiece”, and highlighted throughout the year on the website.
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EDITOR’S NOTE: Following are the 10 Townie Award winners for 2020 – by category, program/community name and “project/event title”.
ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE
Organization Development
Easton Main Street Initiative a subsidiary of Greater Easton Development Partnership – “Easton’s Community Communications”
Community Partnerships
Downtown Inc, York’s Main Street Program – “Together for the Better”
PHYSICAL IMPROVEMENTS & DESIGN
Individual Façade Restoration
West Reading Community Revitalization Foundation, West Reading Main Street – “West Reading Motor Club” Formally the A-Z Building
Public Space Improvement
Downtown Connellsville, an initiative of Fayette County Cultural Trust, “Connellsville Public Art – Leading the Way”
PROMOTIONS & MARKETING AWARDS
Special or Neighborhood Events
Venture Lititz, Lititz’s Main Street Program – “Fire & Ice 2019”
Retail Promotions
Easton Main Street Initiative a subsidiary of Greater Easton Development Partnership – “Creative Holiday”
ANCHOR BUILDING AWARD
Venture Lititz, Lititz’s Main Street Program – “Wilbur Chocolate Factory”
SAFE, CLEAN & GREEN AWARDS
Public Safety
Mainstreet Waynesboro Inc. – “One Brick at a Time”
CHAIRMAN’S AWARD FOR YOUTH INVOLVEMENT
Monongahela Main Street Program – Ethan Gumble, “M.y. Main Street”
Mainstreet Waynesboro Inc. – Marcus Cooley |
