Project Name: Gladstone’s Old Fashioned Christmas
ABOUT THE APPLICANT
Are you applying as a:
DDA or CID
What is the entity’s name:
City of Gladstone’s Downtown Development Authority
What downtown area or business corridor does it serve?
City of Gladstone’s Downtown District
Website URL
Twitter Handle:
Facebook Handle:
https://www.facebook.com/people/City-of-Gladstone/100063457584163/
Instagram Handle:
What is the name of the primary contact for this entity’s application/project?
Patricia West
What are their preferred pronouns?
She/her/hers
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Where will your project take place? (please include city/village too)
Delta Ave Business District within the City of Gladstone
Anticipated project launch date
November 24, 2023
Briefly describe your project idea including your role and any project partners.
The DDA plans to sponsor the Old Fashioned Christmas on Delta Ave to bring our community and visitors together to kick-off the holiday season. This event invites all businesses within the DDA district to participate by providing family friendly holiday activities along main-street for the public.
How do you plan to spend the $5,000 microgrant? Please list and explain the items, services, fees, expertise, etc. that you plan to purchase.
$300 – Band
A local band named Reflections will be hired to play on stage at the Farmers Market Square to entertain the public while waiting in line to meet Santa.
$500 – Face Painters
We plan to hire five face painters as one of the event offerings.
$2300 – Event Planner:
We plan to contract with an event planner located within our DDA district to reduce the burden on our DDA Coordinator who will be on maternity leave during the event.
$2400 – Materials & Supplies:
To eliminated any barriers for businesses to participate, we plan to purchase the materials and supplies for their activities. This may include food items like cookies, hotdogs, apple cider, candy, and s’mores, as well as supplies such as patio heaters, face painting materials, gift bags, game prizes, etc. In addition, we will also use the funds to purchase decorations for the downtown project area, including firewood, haybales, holiday lighting, A-Frame signage and chain-link gates to form lines.
Will your project require special permits from the community you are in? For example, anything that requires a street closure or installing a permanent art piece will likely require a special permit from your local governing body or zoning board. If your project is funded, the MML Foundation is happy to help you navigate that process. Please note that all applicants must obtain any necessary permits for their projects, if selected for funding.
Yes
Rachel’s Notes about the Project
Reviewed 4.24.23. Confirmed member status. Confirmed artist status. Artist will be paid. Confirmed businesses are viable and within downtown footprint. Confirmed project location is viable. Confirmed LOS.
ABOUT THE COMMUNITY
Why does your community need this project?
The Gladstone Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has moved away from event planning due to reduced revenue within the district, funding other large project initiatives, and limited staff availability. The Old Fashioned Christmas is the ONLY city wide event sponsored by our DDA and it has such a positive impact of our business district.
Each business has an opportunity to engage with the both local residents and visitors that are home for the holidays, opening their doors to community members whom have never had an opportunity or reason to enter their storefront before.
– Young children that have never been introduced to the performing arts get an opportunity to enter a dance studio to write a letter to Santa.
– The public gets an opportunity to meet the City Mayor during the lighting of the City’s Christmas Tree
– Free meals and goodies are offered at many of the participating businesses
– Visitors get a tour of our community offerings while riding the holiday wagon to each participating location
The event provides exposure for our downtown businesses, local artists, and participating churches while also providing our public a free family friendly activity with many goodies to enjoy. Memories are made at the Old Fashioned Christmas each year, and it bring a sense of nostalgia to those who are visiting home for Thanksgiving. This is essential as we consider marketing our community as a beautiful and safe place to raise a family.
How will you engage your community in this project?
There are so many entities that come together to make this event work, and that is no small feat! The City of Gladstone provides support from their Electric Department to hang the holiday lights and decorations down Delta Ave. The Parks and Recreation Department and Public Works Department have their staff involved in both set-up and clean-up efforts as well.
In addition, the Delta County Chamber of Commerce lends their large trailer wagons to the DDA to allow wagon rides to all participating locations at no cost. We also expect to receive a financial donation from a local retail business to help offset the cost of game prizes.
The larger the event recognition and engagement, the more volunteers we are able to secure. This provides us more feet on the ground to be available for any needs that arise during the actual event and feedback we will be able to collect to improve upon. Every participating business and entity is recognized on our marketing material and it is beautiful to see the community come together for the good of the public.
Finally, it encourages the public to interact with business owners, connecting people to services they could benefit from. For example, a chiropractor will be out on the sidewalk in front of his office serving hot chocolate to residents. The credit union will be be serving cookies with information on opening a child’s first savings account.
What do you hope to achieve through this project?
Exposure for our city!
– Encourage new businesses to move into the district
– Members of the public putting a face to name with our City Commission
– Utilizing this event to market our community with visitors
Exposure for our downtown businesses!
– A local artist introducing themselves to a retail store owner proposing the idea of selling their items on consignment
– An increase in dog training sign-ups after the public visits D&D Dog Dynamics
– Connecting someone in chronic pain with one of our chiropractor providers after having a chance to meet face-to-face
– Dance studio registration rates increase from young visitors who came in to write a letter to Santa but left with a ignited interest in the performing arts
– Gift card purchases for the holidays at our local restaurants
– Gym membership sign-ups after touring the facility
– Small business owners having insightful conversations with an insurance firm in our downtown district
How will the project celebrate the community’s diversity? Diversity can include different ages, races, cultures, socio-economic statuses, abilities, and more.
This event is for EVERYONE!
Whether the participant has been a lifelong resident of the City of Gladstone, or is visiting for the first time from Downtown Chicago, Gladstone’s Old Fashioned Christmas will connect you with that magical holiday feeling we all experienced as a child. This event is intended to bring families together, regardless of any political disagreements that may have happened around the Thanksgiving dinner table the night before.
As part of the City of Gladstone, the Gladstone DDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider, and therefore, this event is designed to bring people together and create shared memories. We provide activities for both young and old, wagon accommodations for anyone with accessibility needs to visit all participating locations, and everything involved in the event is free to eliminate all financial barriers for public participation.
What resources do you already have to make this project successful? Resources could include things like time, partners, expertise, donated goods/materials/space, matching funds, and more. Please approximate the in-kind value if possible.
– Matching funds up to $500 from the DDA
– We’ve partnered with an event planner
– We expect at least 15 downtown businesses to participate
– Many materials and supplies available from previous events
– In-Kind: Porta-potties, wagon trailers, city staff services
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Artist First and Last Name:
Reflections Band (Michelle Czygan)
Artist Facebook Handle
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063455894187&ref=page_internal
Describe the artist’s or artists’ work. This is not about credentials—what do they do as an artist?
Reflections is a staple in our community and they are the first to volunteer for any community event. They are an acoustic trio who play a variety of favorites from the 1940’s through today!
How will the artist be involved in this project?
This band will be set up next to the line that forms to meet Santa Claus to provide entertainment to families as they wait.
Are there other artists involved in this project?
Yes
What are their names and what sort of art form do they practice?
Rylee Hughes
How will they be involved in the project?
We will provide face painting as another activity at the Old Fashioned Christmas. Rylee will help us coordinate an additional four painters and also purchase the supplies needed.
ABOUT THE PARTNERS
Business 1: Business Name:
Main Street Pizza
Business 1: Business Type:
Restaurant
Business 1: Business Owner First and Last Name:
Robert & Shelly Claycomb
Business 1: Physical Location Address
901 Delta ave
Business 1: Twitter Handle (If Applicable)
Business 1: Facebook Page Link (If Applicable)
https://www.facebook.com/MainStreetPizza1989/
Business 1: Instagram Handle (If Applicable)
https://www.instagram.com/gstonemsp/
How will this partner be involved in the project?
The DDA Board Chair is a representative from Main Street Pizza, and highly involved in the event planning committee. Outside of event planning, the restaurant also plans to hand out hot peanuts to visitors, which they funded and supplied on their own last year.
Business 2: Business Name:
Frame Farm & Art Gallery
Business 2: Business Type:
Retail
Business 2: Business Owner First and Last Name:
Chase Debra Debacker
Business 2: Business Physical Location Address:
920 Delta Ave
Business 2: Twitter Handle (If Applicable)
Business 2: Facebook Page Link (If Applicable)
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057645661207
Business 2: Instagram Handle (If Applicable)
How will this second partner be involved in the project?
In addition to participating in the event by handing out chocolates, the Frame Farm also provides a monetary donation to the event of $500 to be applied to game prizes for one of the activity offerings.at another location.
Do you have additional partners (business, non-profit, etc.)?
Yes
What are their names?
We expect 15-20 businesses to participate in the event. While not yet confirmed at this time, these business names are below:
– Iversons
– Brampton Bike & Ski
– Dance it Up!
– D&D Dog Dynamics
– Main Street Pizza
– Dairy Flo
– Frame Farm
– Great Lakes Credit Union
– The Dew Drop
– Trotters Floral
– Grace & Claire Boutique
– Happy Rock Boutique
– Waters Edge Chiropractic
– Wally’s Bar
– A1 Septic
– Delta County Chamber of Commerce
What role(s) will they have in the project?
Participating businesses with activities available for the public or in-kind donations.
Are they located within the same downtown or business district as the project?
Yes – our DDA district expands beyond Delta Ave where the event is held. The only partners listed above who is not in the DDA district is the Delta County Chamber of Commerce.
Will your local municipal government be involved in the project? If so, how?
Yes. In collaboration with the Gladstone Downtown Development Authority, we will partner with other City Departments, including Parks and Recreation, Public Works, and the Electric Department. These departments will assist with set-up and clean-up of the event, and the Electric Department will also be hanging holiday lights and decorations throughout the downtown.
Please upload a letter of support on letterhead for your project from your local governing body (mayor, city/village manager, city/village council member).
Click the icon(s) below to view. Note that this may download to your computer depending on the file type.
IMAGE UPLOADS
Image Caption 1 (if any): Before Photo 1 – Delta Ave in Gladstone – Also referred to as Mainstreet
Image 1 (if any):
Image Caption 2 (if any): Before Photo 2 – City Christmas Tree Set-Up
Image 2 (if any):
Image Caption 3 (if any): Past Event: Wagon Ride
Image 3 (if any):
Image Caption 4 (if any): Past Event: Participants
Image 4 (if any):
Image Caption 5 (if any): Past Event: Flyer
Image 5 (if any):
