FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2024 Contact
Brenda Ferri
Executive Director
bferri@ratonmainstreet.org | 575-445-2052
RATON MAINSTREET ANNOUNCED AS 2025 GREAT AMERICAN MAIN STREET AWARD SEMIFINALIST
One of Eight Organizations Recognized for Exemplary
Downtown Revitalization Efforts Nationally
Raton, NM (October 1, 2024) – Main Street America has announced Raton MainStreet as a 2025 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) semifinalist. This prestigious award is the nation’s top award recognizing communities for their excellence in comprehensive preservation-based commercial district revitalization.
A jury of professionals and leaders in the fields of community and economic development and historic preservation convened to review a nationwide pool of applicants. After thoughtful deliberation, the jury unanimously selected eight semifinalists that demonstrate exemplary use of the Main Street Approach™ to lead community-based transformation strategies in their downtowns.
The 2025 Great American Main Street Award semifinalists are:
Berlin Main Street – Berlin, Maryland
Denison Main Street – Denison, Texas
Easton Main Street Initiative – Easton, Pennsylvania
Main Street Farmington – Farmington, Oakland County, Michigan
Jefferson Matters – Jefferson, Iowa
Raton MainStreet/Arts & Culture District – Raton, New Mexico
Vicksburg Main Street Program – Vicksburg, Mississippi
Downtown Wytheville Inc. – Wytheville, Virginia
“I am honored to congratulate the eight Main Street organizations as 2025 Great American Main Street Award semifinalists and to celebrate their incredible accomplishments,” said Main Street America President and CEO Erin Barnes. “This year’s semifinalists demonstrate exceptional achievements in reenergizing their downtowns through inclusive, collaborative organizing and innovative economic development, arts and culture, and historic preservation initiatives.”
Collectively, the 2025 GAMSA semifinalists have generated over $695 million in local reinvestment, helped open 975 net new businesses, facilitated the creation of 7,190 net new jobs, catalyzed the rehabilitation of 1,568 historic buildings, and leveraged 333,050 volunteer hours.
Competing for the Great American Main Street Award is a significant achievement in the Main Street Movement, and receiving the award is an esteemed honor. Since its establishment in 1995, only 112 of over 2000 Main Street programs have been acknowledged as GAMSA-winning communities. Many Main Street programs set multi-year plans to work towards developing a strong application based on outcomes that make meaningful impacts in their local communities. Organizations are familiar with the selection criteria—strength of the Main Street program in spurring community transformation, commitment to historic preservation, innovative programming, implementation of cross-sector partnerships, community outreach and stakeholder engagement, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion—and build towards this opportunity to be recognized.
“We are so honored to be named as semi-finalists. Some days the work we do feels like a struggle, but this makes it all worth it. We love Raton and we will continue to work hard to better the quality of life for our community residents and visitors.” – Brenda Ferri, Executive Director
The 2025 Great American Main Street Award ceremony will be held at the opening plenary of the 2025 Main Street Now Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on April 7, 2025, where three semifinalists will be recognized as recipients of the coveted honor.
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ABOUT RATON MAINSTREET
We are committed members of the community dedicated to improving the quality of life in Raton by revitalizing our downtown area. We want to foster business prosperity and offer new economic opportunities. We seek to have a community where all generations can have a sense of pride in Raton and all cultures feel respect for their heritage. For more information, visit ratonmainstreet.org
ABOUT THE GREAT AMERICAN MAIN STREET AWARDS
The Great American Main Street Award program recognizes communities exemplifying the use of the Main Street Approach™ to revitalize commercial districts. Winners are selected from a nationwide pool of applicants by a jury of Main Street professionals and leaders in the fields of community and economic development and historic preservation. Since the award’s inception in 1995, over 110 Main Street programs have been honored as GAMSA communities. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.
ABOUT MAIN STREET AMERICA
Main Street America leads a movement committed to strengthening communities through preservation-based economic development in older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts. For more than 40 years, Main Street America has provided a practical, adaptable, and impactful framework for community-driven, comprehensive revitalization through the Main Street Approach™. Our network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. For more information, visit mainstreet.org.
