First Fridays in Historic Downtown Scottsville are a true Kentucky hometown experience. One night a month, April through December, the entire square closes to traffic at 4pm to allow volunteers to prepare. Farmers and food trucks, vendors and musicians arrive from all directions and curious visitors begin strolling the streets. As the sun goes down and the street lamps turn up, the small town of Scottsville is alive with the sights, sounds and smells of this ever-evolving street fair.
In the past few decades, we lost much of our curiosity and failed to explore within our own communities. We just sort of passed through them and, in so doing, we overlooked much of what makes them unique and worth celebrating. During the pandemic, however, people from all over the country began showing up in rural communities, inspired to explore at a time when they couldn’t work or do many of the things that previously claimed their time.
“People’s curiosity, in an interesting way, was really sparked during that time when everything was stripped away,” observes Main Street Director Hannah Brooks. Heart of Scottsville (a program of Kentucky Main Street and Main Street America) saw an opportunity to use events like First Fridays to re-establish downtown as the center of the community, the place where neighbors connect and small businesses thrive. Little did they know they were creating an opportunity for both locals and visitors alike to view their hometown with the wonder and appreciation of a newcomer.
There is an excitement and hopeful enthusiasm in Scottsville these days, and it’s contagious. Local entrepreneurs and innovators are gathering with a generous mission: to lay a foundation for the next generation. This collaborative spirit has given birth to progress that much larger communities with considerably more resources have struggled to accomplish.
As we find ourselves staring down the next round of economic challenges, we’re reminded that the success or failure of our communities depends on all of us. If we want our communities to succeed, we must be willing to invest in them. And it’s so much bigger than just how we spend our dollars. So much of it comes down to each of us as individuals, how we interact with our neighbors, and the conscious decision to spend our limited resources (including our time and talents) very intentionally.
We invite you to join the grassroots movement we call Main Street America.
-submitted by Heart of Scottsville
