Gather & Grow: Townies & Manager’s Meeting – May 28-29 in Bedford, PA
Join your revitalization partners for the Gather & Grow: Townies & Manager’s Meeting at the beautiful Omni Bedford Springs Resort on May 28-29, 2025! Hosted by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center, this special event brings together community leaders, downtown professionals, and revitalization advocates from across the Commonwealth for two days of networking, learning, and celebration.
The Manager’s Meeting is a required event for Main Street Matters designated managers, as well as those seeking 2025 National Accreditation. In addition, the Townies Awards will recognize outstanding local leaders, businesses, and organizations making a lasting impact in their communities.
Join us for this exciting event and be a part of Pennsylvania’s community revitalization movement. Register today for the Gather & Grow, select a workshop, your choice for dinner, and one of the Exploratory Field Sessions (required for Main Street Matters & PDC Designated/Recognized Members) today!
We Are Looking for Sponsors!
By sponsoring Gather & Grow, your organization gains exclusive access to community leaders, decision-makers, and revitalization professionals dedicated to strengthening downtowns and neighborhoods across Pennsylvania. Sponsorship benefits include high-visibility branding, direct engagement opportunities, and the chance to showcase your commitment to community development.
View our Sponsorship Prospectus for details on sponsorship levels and benefits HERE
Schedule of Events | Event Check in will open at 11:30 AM on May 28
Gather & Grow starts Wednesday, May 28 with three workshops followed by the evening Townie Awards.
- 10 AM-4:00 PM | CRA, Safe Clean & Green | This workshop finishes the CRA trainings for Cohort 1 & 2 and will be held in downtown Bedford. Bill Arrowood will send final details to the Cohorts prior to the workshop.
- 10 AM-3:00 PM | Downtown Revitalization 101 | This workshop is for new managers, board members or community members interested in community revitalization. This workshop will be held at Bedford Springs Omni Resort.
- 1:30-4:00 PM | NAP Workshop | Learn more about this important tool for your revitalization toolbox. See full description below. Cost of the workshop is $25. This workshop will be held at the Bedford Springs Omni Resort.
- 5:30-9:30 PM | Townie Awards Reception & Dinner at 5:30 PM for a cash bar reception and dinner to follow at 6:00 PM.
Thursday, May 29
- 8:00 AM-Noon | Breakfast and the Manager’s Meeting
- 10:00 AM-Noon | Leadership Forum
- Exploratory Field Sessions in downtown Bedford. Exploratory Field Sessions include:
- Noon-3:30 PM | Foodie Tour | Cost for the Food Tour includes stops at a variety of restaurants in downtown Bedford. Cost for the tour is $35. Learn how to put together a food tour, wine tour, etc. in your downtown.
- Noon-3:30 PM | Bike Tour | Start at Bedford Springs and travel along the Shuster Way Heritage Trail that connects Bedford Springs to Downtown Bedford. Stop for lunch in downtown Bedford and enjoy your lunch in Bedford Park. Continue along the trail to Old Bedford Village. Learn how to connect local trails to your downtown as well as information for safe community biking. Bring your own bike or rent a bike for $40.
- 1:30-3:30 PM | Museum & Mural Tour | Have lunch on your own then join the tour to visit local museums, hear about the initiatives the museums have with the community, and tour the murals in downtown Bedford. Learn how you can work with your museums to create similar initiatives.
- 1:30-3:30 PM | Guided Bedford History Tour | Have lunch on your own and then join the tour and enjoy a guided history tour of downtown Bedford. Learn how you can create a “FAM” tour for your own community.
NOTE: All workshops, tours, Townie Dinner tickets are available through the same registration link. If you are just attending the NAP Workshop or the Townies, select the Free Gather & Grow Manager’s Meeting option and then select workshops, dinner, etc.
Neighborhood Assistance Program (NAP) Workshop | May 28 from 1:30-4:00 PM | Cost $25
The NAP Tax Credit program is an important tool in your community revitalization toolbox. Included within the NAP are: the Neighborhood Partnership Program (NPP), the Special Program Priorities (SPP), the Charitable Food Program (CFP), and the Enterprise Zone Tax Credit (EZP). These programs can assist in providing support for several community and economic development activities such as business incubators, housing rehab, weatherization, job training, crime prevention, diversity initiatives, rural transportation initiatives, etc. as well as staff time to deliver these services! Additionally, these programs can be incredibly helpful in further enhancing existing or developing new private partnerships. Don’t forget that as a Main Street Matters Main Street or Elm Street program, you automatically qualify to apply for the NAP programs, without having to prove to be “distressed”.
Recent changes to the Neighborhood Assistance Act for FY2024-25 increased the total available NAP tax credit amount from $36 million to $72 million annually. These changes also affected the maximum tax credit percentages allowable through each subprogram of NAP, ranging from 65% to 95% depending on the subprogram. In 2024, DCED launched a 10-year Economic Development Strategy to make Pennsylvania a premier state to do business while building a resilient economy that works for everyone in the community. Applications will be given additional consideration that align or support the priorities of the Governor’s 2024-25 budget, which includes: making Pennsylvania a leader in economic development, job creation, and innovation, investing in K-12 education, building affordable pathways to a college education, cutting costs for Pennsylvanians, and supporting and protecting our vulnerable Pennsylvanians.
This session will be led by DCED and PA Downtown Center staff and will include first-hand community case studies from our panel of experts: Emily Fetcko, CEO, Erie Downtown Partnership; Larry Newman, AICP, Executive Director, Diamond City Partnership, Wilkes-Barre; Regina Coughenour, Executive Director, Somerset Inc., and Todd Pousley, Director of Community Development, NeighborWorks Northeastern Pennsylvania, Scranton.
Rooms are available at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort. A group rate is available through May 5, 2025 at noon. Book your room now!
REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE HERE
If you have any questions, please reach out to our conference coordinator Virgnia Mauk at virginiamauk@padowntown.org. We hope to see you there!
