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Oklahoma Main Street Center Announces Annual Award Winners

For Immediate Release: May 21, 2009

May 21, 2009 -- The Oklahoma Main Street Center held its 20th Annual Awards Banquet this week at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.  Fifteen communities were honored with awards in 24 categories.  Newkirk Main Street and Wilburton Main Street earned the most awards, with each community winning four awards, and Codie Finnigan, El Reno Main Street, was named the 2009 Program Manager of the Year.

Durant Main Street was honored with the prestigious Four Points of Main Street Award, for their 2008 Skating on the Square project.

"The award is not given every year but is given when a particular project demonstrates excellence in all areas of Main Street development.  Congratulations to Durant on an exemplary project," said Linda Barnett, Director of the Oklahoma Main Street Center.

Winners were:

Organization
Program Manager of the Year - El Reno Main Street - Codie Finnigan

Premier Partner - Main Street Enid - Park Avenue Thrift

Best Community Education/Public Awareness - TIE Newkirk Main Street - Main Street Week ; Wilburton Main Street - Visitors’ Guide

Best Volunteer Development Program - Main Street Enid - Vance Air Force Base Volunteers for Main Street Enid

Main Street Hero - Mangum Main Street- Neil Kane

Best Creative Fundraising Effort - Mangum Main Street- Making New Memories:  Park Fundraising Campaign

Best Main Street Youth Involvement - Wilburton Main Street - Historic Building T-Shirt Contest

Promotion
Premier Special Event - Wilburton Main Street - Green Frog Festival

Best Retail Event - TIE Main Street Enid - First Friday; Newkirk Main Street - Snow Ball Drop

Outstanding Image Promotion - Newkirk Main Street - Walking Tour Brochure

Creative New Event - Wilburton Main Street - Green Frog Festival

Outstanding Web Presence - Plaza District - "Family of Online Tool"

Design
Best Public Improvement Project - Sapulpa Main Street - Creek County Courthouse

Best Interior Design Project - Ardmore Main Street Authority - Main Street Wine Depot

Best Façade Rehabilitation Under $10,000 -Hobart Main Street Program - General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute & Museum

Best Façade Rehabilitation Over $10,000 - Downtown Muskogee - Severs Block

Best Window Display - Okmulgee Main Street Inc. - The Nutrition Shoppe

Best Building/Business Signage - Downtown Muskogee - McEntee’s Jewelry Sign/Surety Building

Economic Restructuring
Best Adaptive Reuse Project - 3 WAY TIE Claremore Main Street - 407 W. Will Rogers Blvd.; Hobart Main Street  - Gen. Tommy Franks Leadership Institute & Museum; Newkirk Main Street - The Spot

Best Business Practices - Altus - Crown Jewelry

Best New Business Downtown - El Reno - Oklahoma Vintage Guitar

Downtown Business of the Year - Poteau - Bridgeman’s Furniture

Four Points of Main Street Award - Durant Main Street - Skating on the Square

Friend of Main Street - Al Stevens, OGE 

About Oklahoma Main Street Center:
For information about the Main Street Program please contact the Oklahoma Main Street Center at (405) 815-5379 or visit www.OKcommerce.gov/mainstreet.

The Oklahoma Main Street Center provides training and technical assistance for preservation-based commercial district revitalization. There are 42 communities in the Oklahoma Main Street program that actively implement the Four-Point Main Street ApproachTM to commercial district revitalization developed by the National Main Street Center. The Oklahoma Main Street Center also administers DesignWorks, a community design assistance program, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Arts Council.