Schedule 2025


Conference Theme & Schedule:

Gather & Grow

PDC’s annual conference strives to provide best practices and real-life implementation examples of what community leaders can do in their communities. This year is a little different, as we have the National Main Street Now Conference in Philadelphia, April 7- 9th, and will be hosting the Gather & Grow: Townies & Managers Meeting in Bedford, PA, on May 28th and 29th to subsidize any state events missed at the national conference.

2025 Gather & Grow Schedule

Wednesday, May 28th 

Gather & Grow starts with three workshops followed by the evening Townie Awards.

  1. 10 AM-4:00 PM | CRA, Safe, Clean & Green |This workshop finishes the CRA training for Cohorts 1 and 2 (Fall 2024 & Spring 2025) and will be held in downtown Bedford in the Borough Building, 244 W Penn St. Bill Arrowood will send the final details to the Cohorts before the workshop.
  2. 10 AM-3:00 PM | Downtown Revitalization 101 | This workshop is for new managers, board members, and community members interested in revitalization. This workshop will be held in downtown Bedford in the Borough Building located at 244 Penn Street. Register here
  3. 1:30-4:00 PM | NAP Workshop | Learn more about this important tool for your revitalization toolbox. See full description below. The cost of the workshop is $25. This workshop will be held at the Bedford Springs Omni Resort. Register here

 

5:30-9:30 PM | Townie Awards Reception & Dinner at 5:30 PM for a cash bar reception and dinner at 6:00 PM in the Colonnade Room at the Bedford Springs Omni Resort.

 

Thursday, May 29

8:00 AM – 3:30 PM | Breakfast and the Manager’s Meeting 

8:00 AM | Breakfast & Networking

8:30 AM | Welcome & Introductions

8:45 AM – 10:30 AM | Manager’s Meeting Program: Keep PA Beautiful, DCED & PDC Updates

10:30 AM | Break

10:45 AM-Noon | Leadership Forum & Break-out Sessions

10:00 AM-Noon | Leadership Forum

Exploratory Field Sessions in downtown Bedford. Exploratory Field Sessions include (REQUIRED AS PART OF THE MANAGER’S MEETING):

    1. Noon- 3:30 PM | Foodie Tour | Cost for the Food Tour includes stops at various restaurants in downtown Bedford. The cost for the tour is $35. Learn how to put together a food tour, wine tour, etc., in your downtown.
    2. 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, and get information for safe community biking. Bring your own bike or rent a bike for $40.
    3. 1:30-3:30 PM | Museum & Mural Tour | Have lunch on your own, then join the tour to visit local museums, hear about the museums’ initiatives with the community, and tour the murals in downtown Bedford. Learn how you can work with your museums to create similar initiatives.
    4. 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 community.

 

NOTE: All workshops, tours, and Townie Dinner tickets are available through the same registration link. If you are attending the NAP Workshop or the Townies, select the Free Gather & Grow Manager’s Meeting option and then choose workshops, dinner, etc.

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