“Mobilize Main Street” Program Bringing Visitors to Toccoa Today

If you’re in downtown Toccoa today, you might see a group of visitors taking pictures and looking in store windows, but don’t be alarmed.

They are part of a group taking part in Mobilize Main Street, acccording to Toccoa Main Street Manager Chris Hamilton.

“Mobilze Main Street is an event sponsored by the Georgia Main Street,” Hamilton said. “It brings groups of Main Street managers from across Georgia to various cities so they can get a better idea of how the Main Streets operate. We are proud that Main Street Toccoa has been chosen to be the first stop on Mobilize Main Street.”

Mobilize Main Street is an on the go learning opportunity designed to get Main Street Managers out of the classroom and in to a community to see real life, on the ground projects.

This year, the event will focus on three communities, Toccoa, Athens, and Madison over a two day period.  Today, Hamilton said the group will be visiting a number of venues in town.

“We’re rolling out the red carpet. We’re going to show them the Ritz Theater, we have a nice lunch for them. We’re going to give them a tour of downtown and talk about our various programs and events that we offer downtown. Hopefully, we will inspire some other Main Street managers by showing them why Toccoa is such a great Main Street,” he said.

The Georgia Main Street Program began in 1980 as one of the original pilot state coordinating programs of the National Main Street Initiative launched by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The program launched with five local communities and has grown to serve 100+ communities statewide.