Ponca City Main Street picks up four awards at state banquet

OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Main Street Center announced the winners in 21 competitive award categories during the 28^th annual Main Street Awards Banquet on Tuesday at the Embassy Suites Downtown Medical Center Hotel.

“The Main Street Awards Banquet celebrates the imaginative and hardworking people who are dedicated to revitalizing and preserving the historic commercial districts in their communities across Oklahoma,” said Buffy Hughes, director of the Oklahoma Main Street program.  “It was a competitive year with almost 200 entries, and these awards emphasize and embody the best people, programs, design, and events happening on Main Street. Congratulations to all the winners.”

Each award falls under one of the “four points” in the Main Street Approach – Organization, Promotion, Economic Vitality and Design.

The 2017 award winners include:

ORGANIZATION:

Premier Partner

Ponca City Main Street – City of Ponca City

Best Community Education/Public Awareness

Wilburton Main Street – Main Street Week Activities

Best Volunteer Development Program

Durant Main Street – Durant High School Service Learning Project

Best Creative Fundraising Effort

Durant Main Street – Dancing with the Stars

Main Street Hero

Okmulgee Main Street – Richard Larabee

PROMOTION:

Best Retail Event

Durant Main Street – Dash for Cash

Creative New Event

Ponca City Main Street – 2016 Battle of the Burger

Outstanding Image Promotion

Main Street Enid – Elf on the Downtown Shelf

Premier Special Event Under 1,000 Attendees

Main Street Enid – Butterfly Invasion

Main Street Enid – Downtown Dogfest

Premier Special Event Over 1,000 Attendees

Hobart Main Street – 9/11: Never Forget

DESIGN:

Best Placemaking Project

Ponca City Main Street – Veterans’ Plaza

Best Building/Business Branding
Kendall Whittier Main Street – The Beehive Lounge

Best Visual Merchandising
Ada Main Street – Farm Girl Boutique

Best Interior Design Project

Okmulgee Main Street – Park on the Square

Best Façade Rehabilitation Under $10,000

Hobart Main Street – Krieger Insurance

Best Façade Rehabilitation Over $10,000

Claremore Main Street – Main Street Tavern

Best Sustainable Design Project
Main Street Enid – Lamp Post Refurbishment

ECONOMIC VITALITY:

Best Adaptive Reuse Project

Hobart Main Street – Frisco Creek Barbeque

Best Business Practices

Main Street Altus – Belles & Beaux

Best New Business

Okmulgee Main Street – 102 Ristorante

Business of the Year

Hobart Main Street – General Tommy Franks Leadership Institute & Museum

Top Main Street Communities

Altus, Bartlesville, Duncan, Guymon, Hobart, Newkirk, Okmulgee, Ponca City, Prague, and Wilburton.

Community of the Year

Main Street Altus

The Watonga Bob Shoemaker Award (given to the program director of the year)

Stephen Boyd, Hobart Main Street

The Oklahoma Main Street Center would also like to thank the sponsors for this year’s banquet: Main Street Enid, Embassy Suites Oklahoma City Downtown Medical Center Hotel, Cory’s Audio Visual, and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

For more information about the Oklahoma Main Street Program, please call (405) 815-6552 or visit www.OKcommerce.gov/mainstreet.