2020 in Alexandria has already taken off to an excellent ‘Small Town U.S.A’ start. New Mayor Todd Naselroad, Clerk Treasurer Darcy VanErman, Building Commissioner Lance Love and Economic Development Officer Alan Moore have completed their first month in their new positions and the outlook is good for our city.
The Chamber added four new members to our Board of Directors: Missy Teats from the Alexandria Kiwanis, Mo Cambridge from Indiana University, Chris Holmes from First Financial Bank & Dave Hudak from POET: Biorefining.
Just this week the Chamber was honored to sponsor new flags for Downtown Harrison Street & Beulah Park! All of those that participated in our Christmas Tree Gift Card Fundraiser, we THANK YOU for your support, and the funds from that have been used to purchase the new beautiful flags.
As always, check out our website for upcoming events and news!
Sincerely,
Ashley O.
New Flags for Downtown Harrison Street & Beulah Park
New flags going up downtown just in time for Alexandria Community School Corporation‘s Sectionals!
Pictured: Mayor Todd Naselroad, Clerk Treasurer Darcy VanErman,
Street Commissioner Gary Hartwell & Tom Ragsdale,
Alexandria Monroe Chamber of Commerce Board Members-
Marshall Farmer, Missy Teats & Lindsey Cuneo. AMCC volunteer Danny Lamb.
#monroechamber #smalltownusa
Membership Spotlight
Owens Memorial Services
| Owens Memorial Services specializes in not only providing comfort and reassurance during a family’s most difficult time, they honor and celebrate the legacy of the person lost. A legacy that helps those left behind to be transformed, inspires them to re-examine their own lives, and ultimately to heal. A legacy that can cause you to reflect and wonder…What is your legacy? Owens Memorial Services are grateful to be part of Alexandria’s past and are dedicated to being a part of its future. They believe there is a heritage of trust between us and you going back to 1926. Down through the years hundreds of Alexandria families have entrusted the care of their loved ones to us. They are friends taking care of friends. They can offer no more, you should settle for no less. They are honored to serve,and your comments tell them that they are serving our community well. |
HGTV and Small Town USA
“ALEXANDRIA — Many communities in Madison County and surrounding areas are talking about it, but Alexandria is doing something about it. Encouraged by the volunteer Home Town Takeover Committee, residents got together Monday morning to make an audition video to submit for HGTV’s Home Town Takeover contest. The winning town with a population of 40,000 or less will receive a professional renovation by popular HGTV “Home Town” stars Ben and Erin Napier of Laurel, Mississippi. “Home Town Takeover” is expected to be a six-episode special event slated to air on HGTV in 2021.
Rachel Martin, organizer for Alexandria’s committee and the videotaping, said she believes the town is uniquely positioned to win the national competition.“I think that we are Small Town USA has a lot to do with it. I think the propaganda campaign put out in World War II naturally sets us apart,” the Alexandria native said. “I don’t think the surrounding communities have the spirit that we have.”
In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Office of War Information designated Alexandria as Small Town USA, to be included in a 41-page propaganda magazine intended to give the nation’s World War II allies a glimpse at Midwestern American life. That designation since then has been used as a brand for the city. According to HGTV’s website, rules for the contest are that the town have a population less than 40,000, that it has “homes with great architecture waiting to be revealed;” and that it has a main street in need of a facelift.
It didn’t take much to work up the enthusiasm leading to action once the possibility of entering the competition was discussed, Martin said. “If you met the group of ladies who volunteer, they always act. It didn’t take too much,” she said. “Seeing the community want to get involved has been inspiring.” If the town were to win, Martin said, she and the committee hope HGTV would put its efforts into the downtown area and give a facelift to commercial buildings and homes pinpointed by the Hometown Takeover Committee.
To make the video, Martin, who works for Alexandria Community Schools, approached Chuck Foga and his mass media class at Alexandria-Monroe Jr.-Sr. High School to record and edit the video on phones, iPads and professional equipment. Students in that class typically are responsible for weekly news reports and the monthly student newspaper.But the HGTV video was a little different. “I think it gives them an idea of what a large-scale project is,” Foga said. And if the town wins, Foga added, the 16 students will achieve national recognition. HGTV asked that videos include tours of downtowns, special events and history.
Foga said he and the students, who have been working on the project since Wednesday, are concentrating on Alexandria’s world renowned paint ball; its rich music history, including Bill and Gloria Gaither and Joey Martin Feek; its Smalltown USA designation; and its downtown history. Senior Noah Rowland, 18, manages video, print and social media projects for the class, including the HGTV video. He said it typically takes three days of recording and two days of editing to produce the weekly reports, but he expected to spend at least twice that on the HGTV video. “It’s a huge project,” he said. “It’s a lot more recording than what we normally do. ”But if the town wins, it would be a real feather in his cap, Rowland said.“It would be something I helped create that’s on HGTV,” he said.
Mayor Todd Naselroad said an infusion of help to renovate the downtown would be welcome. “I think any time we can get money to work on downtown, that’s a great thing.”
Article Written by: Rebecca R. Bibbs- The Herald Bulletin- Feb. 4, 2020
Follow Rebecca R. Bibbs on Twitter at @RebeccaB_THB, or call 765-640-4883.
Upcoming Events
The Monroe Township Trustee Office, will be working along side of the City of Alexandria for the first ever “Alexandria Monroe Dinner.” Trustee Amie Hood is “beyond excited for this adventure with the City and to work across party lines for the betterment of our wonderful community.” The dinner is free and will be held at the Trustee Office on Monday February 10th at 6PM 204 E. Berry Street, Alexandria. And will last until the food is gone. Come meet your City and Township Officials. We hope to see you there.
| Lane of Thrones/ Game of Cards Are you a Stark or Lannister? Bowling Team of 4- $100 Lane Sponsorship- $50 Euchre $10 per person (21+) Table Sponsorship- $200 Look out for fabulous prizes!!! 50/50 Wine Pull & Silent Auction Spring is Coming… To Register please contact Ashley @ 765-748-2550 or director@alexandriachamber.org Learn More |
Save the Date:
Business @ Breakfast- April 15th- Alexandria Community Center
CARE Day- May 16th- All over Small Town U.S.A
Relay 4 Life- June TBA
Picnic in the Park- June TBA
Great Alexandria Golf Classic- September 12th
Annual Luncheon/ Chamber Awards- November 18th
-Celebrating Black History Month-
“The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.
As a Harvard-trained historian, Carter G. Woodson, like W. E. B. Du Bois before him, believed that truth could not be denied and that reason would prevail over prejudice. His hopes to raise awareness of African American’s contributions to civilization was realized when he and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925. The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. The response was overwhelming: Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort.
By the time of Woodson’s death in 1950, Negro History Week had become a central part of African American life and substantial progress had been made in bringing more Americans to appreciate the celebration. At mid–century, mayors of cities nationwide issued proclamations noting Negro History Week. The Black Awakening of the 1960s dramatically expanded the consciousness of African Americans about the importance of black history, and the Civil Rights movement focused Americans of all color on the subject of the contributions of African Americans to our history and culture.
The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” That year, fifty years after the first celebration, the association held the first African American History Month. By this time, the entire nation had come to recognize the importance of Black history in the drama of the American story. Since then each American president has issued African American History Month proclamations. And the association—now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)—continues to promote the study of Black history all year.”
(Excerpt from an essay by Daryl Michael Scott, Howard University, for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History)
For More Information about Black History Month
Did you know we have an
Anderson- Madison County Black Chamber of Commerce ?
