(March 31, 2016) Three Worcester County municipalities – Berlin, Ocean City and Snow Hill – continue to push boundaries as part of the multi-state Main Street alliance, Tourism, Arts and Downtown Development (TADD).
The group includes more than a dozen other different communities in Maryland and Delaware, including several in Wicomico and Sussex counties.
TADD’s first meeting occurred in Cambridge about a decade ago. Michael Day, director of economic development in Snow Hill, said he missed that session, but has been to every one since.
“For me, it’s the only group that I’m involved with that is loosey goosey,” he said. “There is no structure to it, there’s no organization to it. There’s no board, there’s no executive board, there’s no chairman. Lisa [Challenger] sends out a notice where every quarterly meeting is going to be, and then everybody pays $20 for lunch. It really has worked phenomenally well.”
Berlin Economic and Development Director Ivy Wells said TADD essentially creates a larger, multi-state Main Street.
“We all learn from each other, and we share each other’s thoughts and ideas and events. When you have a team working together, it benefits everyone,” she said. “If we could have a Main Street that stretched from Delaware to Maryland that consisted strictly of the arts, this would be it.”
Funding for the program generally comes from each member’s arts and entertainment pool, rather than from a town’s general fund, according to Wells.
In Maryland, the organization can include any town with a Main Street or an Arts and Entertainment designation. County tourism directors, like Worcester County’s Challenger, are also welcome.
Challenger said Delaware came up with its own criteria for inclusion, because the state uses different designations than Maryland.
“We work with the Delaware Division of the Arts, and Diane Laird with DEDO (Delaware Economic Development Office), to come up with their own criteria,” she said. Current members include Dover, Lewes, Middleton, Milford, Milton, Newark and Rehoboth.
TADD’s flagship project is Eat, Drink and Buy Art, a collaborative website, social media campaign and mobile app that promotes arts and entertainment for 26 different member organizations, including the Art League of Ocean City, Berlin Main Street (Arts & Entertainment District), Ocean City Development Corporation, Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association Inc., Town of Snow Hill (Arts & Entertainment District), Worcester County Arts Council and Worcester County Tourism.
That campaign also includes a monthly newsletter and weekly arts and entertainment radio program on WSCL and WSDL/NPR. Recently, Challenger said Fox Sun & Surf 8 Cinema came on as a sponsor, pushing the broadcast to an hour-long format.
Challenger said the goal is simple.
“We’d like to drive more people into these areas to spend more money downtown, eating and drinking at local brewpubs, buying local art and local, handmade stuff,” she said. “We want to get people off main highways and bypasses, away from all the chains.
“We do have that common thread where we are rural, we don’t individually have lots of resources and money, and this has been a way for us to do things that are bigger than any one of us could’ve done,” Challenger continued. “The great thing is, whatever project we do – however much it costs – we can split it 18 ways.”
Day said the unique spirit of collaboration in Worcester County and the surrounding areas makes the program work, and called it, “one of the best networking opportunities that I’ve ever been involved with.”
This month, Eat, Drink and Buy Art highlighted Berlin on its website and through social media. Berlin Mayor Gee Williams said he was thrilled the town was part of the campaign, and praised its one-of-a-kind approach.
“This is the first place in America where economic development is being done across state lines,” Williams said. “Rural communities have been kicked in the rear and held back, because the boys with the big money in the cities with all the power have successfully divided and conquered. Guess what? We’re going to unite and we’re going to help each other.”
For more information, visit www.eatdrinkbuyart.com.
The group includes more than a dozen other different communities in Maryland and Delaware, including several in Wicomico and Sussex counties.
TADD’s first meeting occurred in Cambridge about a decade ago. Michael Day, director of economic development in Snow Hill, said he missed that session, but has been to every one since.
“For me, it’s the only group that I’m involved with that is loosey goosey,” he said. “There is no structure to it, there’s no organization to it. There’s no board, there’s no executive board, there’s no chairman. Lisa [Challenger] sends out a notice where every quarterly meeting is going to be, and then everybody pays $20 for lunch. It really has worked phenomenally well.”
Berlin Economic and Development Director Ivy Wells said TADD essentially creates a larger, multi-state Main Street.
“We all learn from each other, and we share each other’s thoughts and ideas and events. When you have a team working together, it benefits everyone,” she said. “If we could have a Main Street that stretched from Delaware to Maryland that consisted strictly of the arts, this would be it.”
Funding for the program generally comes from each member’s arts and entertainment pool, rather than from a town’s general fund, according to Wells.
In Maryland, the organization can include any town with a Main Street or an Arts and Entertainment designation. County tourism directors, like Worcester County’s Challenger, are also welcome.
Challenger said Delaware came up with its own criteria for inclusion, because the state uses different designations than Maryland.
“We work with the Delaware Division of the Arts, and Diane Laird with DEDO (Delaware Economic Development Office), to come up with their own criteria,” she said. Current members include Dover, Lewes, Middleton, Milford, Milton, Newark and Rehoboth.
TADD’s flagship project is Eat, Drink and Buy Art, a collaborative website, social media campaign and mobile app that promotes arts and entertainment for 26 different member organizations, including the Art League of Ocean City, Berlin Main Street (Arts & Entertainment District), Ocean City Development Corporation, Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association Inc., Town of Snow Hill (Arts & Entertainment District), Worcester County Arts Council and Worcester County Tourism.
That campaign also includes a monthly newsletter and weekly arts and entertainment radio program on WSCL and WSDL/NPR. Recently, Challenger said Fox Sun & Surf 8 Cinema came on as a sponsor, pushing the broadcast to an hour-long format.
Challenger said the goal is simple.
“We’d like to drive more people into these areas to spend more money downtown, eating and drinking at local brewpubs, buying local art and local, handmade stuff,” she said. “We want to get people off main highways and bypasses, away from all the chains.
“We do have that common thread where we are rural, we don’t individually have lots of resources and money, and this has been a way for us to do things that are bigger than any one of us could’ve done,” Challenger continued. “The great thing is, whatever project we do – however much it costs – we can split it 18 ways.”
Day said the unique spirit of collaboration in Worcester County and the surrounding areas makes the program work, and called it, “one of the best networking opportunities that I’ve ever been involved with.”
This month, Eat, Drink and Buy Art highlighted Berlin on its website and through social media. Berlin Mayor Gee Williams said he was thrilled the town was part of the campaign, and praised its one-of-a-kind approach.
“This is the first place in America where economic development is being done across state lines,” Williams said. “Rural communities have been kicked in the rear and held back, because the boys with the big money in the cities with all the power have successfully divided and conquered. Guess what? We’re going to unite and we’re going to help each other.”
For more information, visit www.eatdrinkbuyart.com.