Celebrate Good Times, Come On!
BY: RACHEL WUMKES
Early this spring, as the country began to close one business sector at a time, something big was happening in Iowa. Something lost in the shuffle as our focus turned to the urgent matters of helping small businesses and our community navigate through these trying times.
Something that, as we are beginning to adjust to our new normal and catch our breath, we’d like to bring front and center.
I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but Main Street Mason City took home four accolades from the Main Street Iowa Annual Awards ceremony. For the past 33 years, this celebration recognized the efforts of those who work tirelessly, day in and day out to revitalize downtown areas in our state. People who possess a great passion in breathing new life into their Main Street, to provide hope for economic growth and beautification.
While the ceremony was a virtual event this year, it was still able to capture the true essence of what makes Main Street great: the people. The volunteers, the business owners, city officials and investors, stakeholders and all supporters of the effort who ensure Main Street thrives.
Michael Wagler, the State Coordinator of Main Street Iowa states, “There has never been a more important time to be engaged with the Main Street movement. Communities across the state are demonstrating the power of the Main Street Approach and its ability to use creative solutions to address challenges of all shapes and sizes. While the World is full of unknowns, I am confident that communities who band together to support each other, support locally owned business and look toward a bright future, will thrive through our current points of challenge.”
So, let’s celebrate! In these tough economic times, you need to take any win and rejoice like you’ve won a gold medal at the Olympics. Toot your horn! Pat yourself on the back! Throw yourself a ticker-tape parade (virtually, of course).
As I’m sure the suspense is killing you, let’s get to the winners. It’s time for them to have their moment in the spotlight, to shine bright and cast a ray of hope and celebration on our community.
The Leadership Award was given to Melissa Fabian. This award recognizes inspirational leadership and volunteers who make significant contributions to the local Main Street program. Melissa personifies everything Main Street stands for, and her pride in community success, well-being, and economic growth is a beacon of light to those around her.
When asked about winning the award, Melissa responded, “When I heard the Leadership Award had been given to me, I was taken back and humbled… there are so many amazing people who are involved with our organization in leadership, on the board and serving and leading on our committees. Everyone is working together to get things done and making downtown Mason City the best it can be. So thankful to be a part of the Main Street Mason City team!”
One of most highly coveted awards is the Business of the Year Award. This award is given out each year to a Main Street business whose vision, ingenuity, and creative assertiveness is of the utmost quality. With countless hours of hard work and muscle thrown into the mix to create a thriving business. Of the entire state of Iowa, we are BEYOND excited to announce that our very own Katie Wold of Market 124 was awarded this prestigious honor. In all the Main Street associations across the entire state, it was her tenacity and fierceness that won her this sought-after award. Katie encapsulates the true meaning of being the “boss lady.”
When asked how she felt about winning the award, Katie stated, “It’s an honor to be recognized as the Iowa Business of the Year. Being a part of the revitalization of our community and creating opportunities for others to do the same is a driving passion of mine.”
Katie’s mad hustle and diversified portfolio of business knowledge has helped her build something beautiful right here in Mason City. She saw an opportunity and invested in our Main Street. Katie and everyone at Market 124 deserves this incredible honor, and we are so unbelievably proud of them!
As we thought maybe that was it for winners, the surprises just kept coming. In another competitive category, it was the Haunted Historic Building Tour who took home the Best Exceptional Special Event Award. Talk about excitement!! So many communities host such incredible events throughout the state of Iowa, so to be recognized for this one is a big deal. Huge. Astronomical, really.
The event features a walking tour of four historic buildings in downtown Mason City. But first, you get to nosh on some tasty appetizers, signature drinks and brews, mingle with other tour attendees before heading out to experience the rich history from the ‘sprits’ of buildings past. The countless hours of planning, preparation and dedication of the volunteers and event staff are what makes this such a grand honor. We’d like to call out one individual whose hard work does not go unnoticed.
A special pat on the back goes to Louisa Monteveldo. Her commitment to creating a high-quality, excellent event is a main reason we received this prestigious honor. Congrats to everyone who has a hand in the Haunted Historic Building Tour.
The final award blew us away. Knocked the wind right out of our sails, leaving our mouths agape, dropped in pure shock.
A new award this year, call the Greatest Game Changer Project, was awarded to the City of Mason City for their development of the multipurpose arena. This project was one for the record books. While Southbridge Mall thrived in the heart of downtown Mason City back in the day, recent shifts in shopping habits altered the way people made purchases. Stores began closing shop, leaving a feeling of emptiness and despair. The fate of the structure was at a crossroads.
Discussion began on the best way to breathe new life into the building. What could it be? How could we make it come alive again? And while there were many, many (I mean, A LOT) of people working diligently to make it happen, it was City Administrator Aaron Burnett who was the backbone of getting this project going and following it through to completion.
As a result of this project, Southbridge Mall has been re-imagined and is once again a downtown destination. The community turned a vacant space into a mixture of retail, entertainment, and long-lasting economic benefits. This project is also a catalyst for a significant amount of additional downtown development, creating a ripple effect which has garnered the building of a new hotel, additional housing, and improvement to public spaces.
I had the chance to ask Mr. Burnett about his feelings in receiving this prestigious award. He replied, “It is fitting that our community won this award because the Mason City Arena is a true game changer for downtown Mason City and the region. The benefits of the arena are being felt widespread with new investment and businesses coming to the core of our community and the arena creating new interest in our River City. The arena provides constant energy with large events and the daily churn of people at recreation department activities, taking lessons, practicing on the ice, attending meetings, buying tickets, etc. This constant activity adds foot traffic supporting stores and numerous entertainment options to support living and working in our downtown. We encourage everyone to come experience firsthand the momentum that is building in Downtown Mason City!”
So, there you have it, folks! Nothing like a bout of good news to brighten your day! Whether you are stuck at home or working on the front lines during this pandemic, Main Street Mason City and all our local businesses appreciate your support more than ever. Your commitment to buying local is second to none. When you buy local, you, too, are creating a ripple effect just like the Mason City Arena did to our downtown. Your dollars help create more dollars that help create a flourishing city we are all proud to call home.
Congrats to each of the winners. We are beaming with pride for every one of you and happy you’ve rooted your business and events in downtown Mason City.