Newton, NC – The Downtown Newton Development Association (DNDA) named the staff of the Catawba County Library as the 2020 N.C. Main Street Champions for Newton.

The 2020 Main Street Champions are a group of individuals and organizations across the state who work and advocate for revitalized downtowns. Award recipients were recognized during a recent virtual ceremony.

The Catawba County Main Library in Downtown Newton is a valued partner of the DNDA. Library staff regularly attend committee meetings and are the first to offer their services to create and execute promotional activities for downtown. The library’s recently acquired Library to Go, a state-of-the-art traveling exploration station that moves beyond the library’s walls and meets children and adults throughout our community, helps expand access to the library at nearly every event in Downtown Newton.

Because the DNDA’s events have grown in popularity, library staff created management systems to control wait times for attractions, which makes experiences better for all of the DNDA’s event attendees. In addition to a willingness to lend their expertise, library staff regularly hold business classes, host the DNDA for retreats and community input sessions, and lead fitness classes on the 1924 Courthouse Square.

“It is such an honor to be recognized as a Main Street Champion for the City of Newton,” said Siobhan Loendorf, director of Catawba County Library. “We enjoy a long history of working with the City and love being a part of making Newton a great place to live and raise a family.”

“The Catawba County Library staff are always willing to lend a hand to the Downtown Newton Development Association,” said Randy Williams, director of the City of Newton Planning Department. “Their dedication to our community enhances the DNDA’s economic developments efforts and continually helps Downtown Newton and Catawba County move toward a bright future. Library staff are true champions of Downtown Newton.”

“There are three keys to economic development success: public-private partnerships that share in the effort and jointly celebrate the successes of projects; economic development strategies that leverage local assets for authentic enhancements and improvements; and local champions that are leading the effort every step of the way,” said Kenny Flowers, Assistant Secretary for Rural Economic Development at the North Carolina Department of Commerce. “The Main Street Program throughout the state, is the epitome of the implementation of these three key components of success.”

“N.C. Commerce and N.C. Main Street have been recognizing Main Street Champions for more than two decades. We know that the success of downtown districts is because of the people behind the effort, and each year, we recognize the visionary individuals that have a strong sense of commitment to their community. They develop projects that improve quality of life, grow cultural and recreational development, renovate historic properties and spur investment and create jobs and businesses,” said Liz Parham, director of the N.C. Main Street and Rural Planning Center.

N.C. Commerce and the N.C. Main Street program began recognizing Main Street Champions in 2000. Thirty-eight champions received honors for contributions to their Main Street programs and downtown districts in 2020. With this year’s group, 804 champions have been recognized by the North Carolina Department of Commerce during the past two decades.

For more information about the Downtown Newton Development Association and Newton’s N.C. Main Street program, visit www.downtownnewton.org or contact Randy Williams at [email protected] or 828-695-4277.
Catawba County Library Staff In Newton