One of the more exciting portions of this month’s Downtown Development Authority meeting was the announcement of an upcoming Main Street Gray event, perfect for the Christmas season.
Main Street Gray Director Ashely Roberson announced plans at the Nov. 10 meeting for an ice-skating venue that will be inside of the Butler Hall building as part of this year’s Christmas Market.
The Christmas Market is scheduled Nov. 29, but ice skating will be available beginning Tuesday, Nov. 25 and 26, then Nov. 28-30, with the hours of operation on-line.
The Nov. 10 DDA meeting was called to order by Chairman Sherri Rollins, and DDA member and City Councilman David Tufts led the opening prayer.
Rollins said the budget was on track. She said the new lease agreement for Butler Hall was not completed, but the new agreement needs to be in place for the new year.
The chairman reported that renovations to 109 E. Clinton St. were still underway. The new roof is in place and not leaking. She said the next step was replacing rotten wood and getting a floor plan from the tenant.
“It will be a slow process,” Rollins said. “There is a lot to be done and will be done as funds are available.”
DDA Secretary and Main Street Director Ashley Roberson gave a marking report for Butler Hall. She said five dates are scheduled for November and four for December. Roberson added she would be advertising for Christmas parties.
The director said 15 dates were already scheduled for the venue in 2026.
Rollins said a drivethru window is being installed for Cone Crazy to help with sales during the winter months, and repairs for other rentals had been done.
“These are routine repairs for older buildings,” she added.
The chairman encouraged members to help support downtown businesses during the upcoming months. She commented it is important to support local, small businesses in winter.
Roberson reported that city council members approved the new branding logo, and developers were working on logos for other agencies. She suggested the Main Street and DDA logos be mostly the same with the names interchanged depending on the event.
The director said she has received applications from close to 100 vendors for the Nov. 29 Christmas Market. She said she will be reviewing the applications to make sure there are not selling duplicate products.
After announcing the ice-skating rink, Roberson said sponsors would help with the expense of the event, which will be a fundraiser for DDA projects.
She said the Fall Festival was a success.
“We had a pumpkin party and sold out.”
Roberson said the downtown Christmas tree will also be lit Saturday evening as part of the Christmas Market event.
Tufts reported about a group trip taken to Carrollton to look at successes in their downtown. He said they were impressed with their amphitheater and got some good ideas.
“It was very nice,” he said. “Their community is working together; we were impressed.”
The next date of the DDA meeting is scheduled at 9 a.m. Dec. 2.
