D owntown  DI gest
A Weekly Newsletter from Downtown I ndiana

Welcome to our (revamped!) newsletter. Each week, we will share our news as well as news from our members. We'll also keep you informed of what's happening in our downtown business district. Please feel free to reach out at any time to provide feedback or suggestions for inclusion in future issues. 

Thank you!

Linda Mitchell
Executive Director

Downtown Indiana Annual Meeting
Organization Celebrates Service 
&  Welcomes New Board Members

On January 8, Downtown Indiana (DI) held its annual meeting at Artists Hand Gallery & Espresso Bar. 

During the evening, Ambassador Awards were presented to  Amplify Church-Indiana Campus , Kathy King and Joyce Sharman. The Heart of Downtown Award was given to Linda Mitchell. Those honored were chosen for their service to Downtown Indiana and it's efforts to maintain a vibrant, flourishing downtown.   

The board also welcomed new members AnnMarie Everett, attorney; Earl Hewitt, Hewitt Real Estate; Tracy Levitz, art director/copywriter; and John Kanyan, Indiana County Transit Authority. Officers for the coming year are: Malcolm Polley, President; Jennifer Rairigh, Vice President; Angela Kellar, Second Vice President; Marshall Chriswell, Treasurer; and Samantha Muir, Secretary. 

Newly re-elected President Malcolm Polley presented a state of the organization address and Treasurer Marshall Chriswell gave an FY2017 financial report. Both spoke of the challenges Downtown Indiana faced during the past year including the loss of a funding source when the Business Improvement District was not reauthorized. 

The overall tone of the evening, however, was optimistic.  Downtown Indiana continues to revitalize its membership program and will apply for Main Street designation in 2018, opening the door to new funding opportunities.  In addition, DI's core events such as Wine Walk, S&T Bank  Oktoberfest and First Commonwealth Bank Taste & Tour were once again successful in both raising funds and drawing people to the downtown.

Downtown Indiana would like to thank ICTC's Culinary Arts Program,  Levity Brewing Co., Woody Lodge Winery and Third Wave Sound for making the evening enjoyable for our guests!


 
Kathy King receives the 2017 Downtown Indiana Ambassador Award from DI Vice President Jennifer Rairigh. Click here for more photos from the event. 

Downtown Indiana Membership 
Join Us!

Downtown Indiana is excited about our plans for 2018!  We continue to market the downtown as a regional shopping and dining destination, to present well-attended events and to advocate for the downtown.

With your DI membership comes the opportunity to attend regular member meetings t o discuss downtown issues and provide input concerning how to further our collective goals.

We offer business, nonprofit and residential memberships and you don't have to be located in the downtown to join!  Download a membership form here or sign up online.



Downtown Indiana 2018 Members
Aging Services Inc.
Aztec Travel Service
Faye Bradwick & Donald Lancaster
James D. Carmella
Chateau Christine
Chriswell Law Offices
The Coney
Donatello's Restaurant
Europa
The Finery
Todd Good
Harvest Community Church
Helwig Insurance
Indiana County Community Action Program
Indiana County NAACP
Indiana Free Library
Indiana Women's Flag Football
IndiGo - Indiana County Transit Authority
InFirst Bank (formerly Indiana First Bank)
IUP Center for Family Business
Thomas and Rosemary Kerr
McAdoo Motor Sports
Michael B Shoes & Campus Corner
Naps Cucina Mia & Josephine's Pizzeria & Enoteca
The Open Door
Rairigh-Bence Funeral Home Inc.
RFI Energy LP
Romeo's Pizzeria & Mediterranean Kitchen
Salvation Army-Indiana Corps
Student Cooperative Association Inc. - IUP
Sweet Adelines International - Indiana Chapter
Venice Café & Pizzeria
William & Mary Gift Shoppe
Save the Date!
Saturday, February 24
S&T Bank Winter Warm Up
Family friendly activities in IRMC Park & sampling the best winter foods that downtown Indiana has to offer!
 
More details in next Tuesday's DIgest.

 
a BIG job and we owe a BIG thank you to 
McNaughton Bros, Inc., 
and Josh Rosenberger of the The 700 Shop for lending a hand. 
 
We will have a full list of Festival thank yous in our next issue
 as well as some of the best pics of our holiday village. 
The Download 
News from our Members & Partners

Attention Employers
Join Indiana Borough on January 24, 2018 at 10:00 am in the Borough Council Chambers at 80 North 8th Street to learn about Employer Assisted Housing (EAH) as a means to recruit and retain valued employees. More info here. 

Theater Notes
The Indiana Players will present the Pulitzer-Prize winning drama
The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds January 19 - 28 at the Philadelphia Street Playhouse. Ticket info here. 

Indiana County WalkWorks
Rock Walk - Saturday, March 24 @ 10:00 
Start: IRMC Park on N 7th Street in Indiana
Participants will walk the WalkWorks route, find rocks and rehide in another place. The Indiana High School Key Club is assisting with the project and decorating the rocks with ways to get healthy through walking, hiking, and biking. Post a picture of the rocks on the Indiana PA Rocks and Indiana County Decathlon pages to share in the fun. Join us for this fun walk & rock!

Call for Small & Emerging Businesses
Every January, PowerLink, a nonprofit, invites applications for 50 PowerLink Advisory Boards through more than 30 referral partner organizations. PowerLink is now accepting applications for 50 select business owners to participate in a challenging 15-month program in the following counties: Allegheny, Indiana, Washington, Westmoreland, Mercer, Lawrence, Clarion and Centre counties in Western Pennsylvania. More info here. 



Downtown Indiana | linda@downtownindiana.org| 724-463-6110 | www.downtownindiana.org
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