The revitalization of the historic downtown district of Middlesboro is amping, with plans to restore the city center to its former glory via concerts, grants and even a Farmers Market.
The nonprofit organization Discover Downtown Middlesboro (DDM) just received its third annual grant from the Levitt Foundation – making Middlesboro one of only three across the nation to have done so, in as many years.
The grant monies will be used to fund the Levitt Amp Concert Series this summer, on whose stage nearly a dozen big-name talent acts will appear.
Included in the lineup is The Voice season 9 runner-up Emily Ann Roberts.
The concert series will run from Aug. 3 to Oct. 5. Local acts will open each concert, slated for Thursday evenings, at 6:30 p.m. The main event will follow, promptly at 7:30 p.m., with an assortment of popular headliners.
Acting DDM director Jeannie Allen recently announced the receipt of another grant from Berea College, whose funds will go toward the costs of teaching basic skills to local youth and young adults. The $110,000, two year grant will be used to teach everything from cooking, sewing, mechanics, sports and music to arts and crafts – something Allen says is sorely needed in this digitized age.
“We want this program to help build self-esteem and pride in community for these young people – to give them hope. This generation that’s growing up – they don’t even know how to use a hammer or screw driver. We’re trying to save this next generation coming up. And, let them know they don’t have to go down the same path their parents did,” said Allen, during a recent meeting of the Cumberland Gap Region Tourism Association.
The grant funds will pay for materials and instructors’ salaries, estimated at $50 per hour, per a maximum two hours lesson.
The popular Palace, currently closed for remodeling, will be opening soon as a Coffee Café and Artisans’ Shop. The Café will be open from 5 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Allen hopes to draw a heavy presence of regional folk on Thursdays, via the Farmers Market, which will coincide with the concert series.
“What we want is, for people to get off work, come down and get something to eat, to shop around and support your local people, before enjoying the concerts,” said Allen.
There is available space for those local farmers who grow their produce within a 100 mile radius of downtown. There are free set-ups for produce booths. However, food vendors will be charged about $20 to cover the cost of electricity.
The Farmers’ Market will run from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. on Thursdays and 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
Downtown will be getting a touch of street art via a project to create murals along the revitalization corridor in downtown Middlesboro. Allen says she and Berea College are teaming up to provide the streets with the unique art form.
Discover Downtown Middlesboro is working its magic along Cumberland Avenue, between 10th and 24th Streets. To the north and south, the DDM is also working to create mixed-use ‘walkable blocks.’
For more information about these and other DDM projects, call 606-269-8712 or 606-269-8775. You may email Allen at downtownmiddlesboro@gmail.com.
The organization website is: www.downtownmiddlesboro.org. The nonprofit also has a Facebook page.
Reach Jan Runions at 423-254-5588 or on Twitter @scribeCP.
