Mills to Main Streets, a brochure created by the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project (RAMP) and the American Precision Museum, highlighted seven communities included in the Connecticut River National Byway: Brattleboro, Bellows Falls, Springfield, Claremont, Windsor, White River Junction and St Johnsbury. These communities span four counties and include the territories of three Regional Marketing Programs. The brochure uses a theme of industrial past to tell a story of how main streets developed and are still vibrant to this day.
The emphasis of the brochure is to encourage both visitors and residents to visit the downtowns regularly, celebrate their cultural history and participate in the current shopping in order to sustain economic vibrancy. In the words of the text, written by Richard Ewald: "communities still stand in a special relationship to the natural environment, and retain the physical imprint of the era when they were created, when local industries transformed rural villages into urban towns."
While the brochure tells the timeless story of these communities, an insert was designed that is updated seasonally to promote events in the participating communities.
Robert McBride, Director of the Rockingham Arts and Museum Project and Executive Director of the Bellows Falls Downtown Development Alliance is available to come talk to the participating communities and discuss how the brochure can effectively integrated into the marketing strategies of the participating communities. For more information please contact Mr. McBride at 802-463-3252, email: ramp@sover.net.
The brochure was supported by the Southern Vermont Regional Marketing Program, The Connecticut River Joint Commission, Preservation Trust of Vermont, The Vermont Country Store and the Bellows Falls Downtown Development Alliance.
