Why join?

Don't wait any longer. Your downtown needs you! A tax deductible donation to the Barre Partnership supports a group committed to the prosperity of our business community 24-7-365.

You need to join the Barre Partnership if you care about downtown Barre. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Partnership relies on the generosity of the public, the local municipality and businesses to help make the city center as lively as it can be. Your contribution enables us to employ a full-time executive director to lead our many volunteers. It also allows us to help businesses with their marketing/promotions endeavors, coordinate citywide events, spearhead economic development in Barre, get positive news about the community into local media, and act as a liaison between the public and the business district.

What has the Partnership done?

The following is a taste of our recent accomplishments:

• The “Have Yourself a Barre Merry Holiday” promotion. Festivities included a parade, tree lighting at the gazebo, visit from Santa Claus, horse-drawn wagon rides down North Main Street and a storefront window-decorating contest. Over $600 in prizes was given to local shoppers.
• The “Hunter’s Widow” downtown-wide promotion for lonely wives on the first day of hunting season.
• A Firehouse Community Forum, sponsored by the Partnership and designed to help brainstorm possibilities for Barre’s historic fire station, was held last March and attended by over 100 locals.
• The Annual Green Mountain Motorheads Classic Car Show, which attracted hundreds of people to downtown Barre once again, courtesy of the Partnership.
• The Partnership’s Annual Summer Concerts in the Park Series brought thousands of people to the revered City Hall Park gazebo throughout the summer.
• We showcased food from various Barre restaurants at our yearly Taste of Barre last June. Five hundred-plus people showed up for delicious samples and live music.
• Our Employee Appreciation Dinner again gave downtown employers a chance to acknowledge their workers. Over 130 people attended.
• A load of statewide media coverage was garnered by the Partnership for local businesses, events and promotions.
• The 1st Annual “Scary Barre: A Harvest Celebration.”
• The Vermont Department of Corrections cleaned downtown Barre’s North Main Street (between Maple and Elm) on a weekly basis, as per an agreement with the Partnership.
• A "Golden Shoes" promotion designed to promote shopping locally and physical fitness. Over 65 free pairs of New Balance sneakers were awarded to citizens.
• With complimentary publishing and distribution services from The Times Argus, the Partnership produced a quarterly newsletter that shed light on all the wonderful things going on downtown.
• We have also assisted several businesses with public relations and marketing efforts.
• Our downtown designation helped the City of Barre secure grants for infrastructure improvements, building facade refurbishment, and more.

What are the Partnership's goals for the future?

We are very excited about the coming months, which will include:

• Continuation of the events outlined above.
• The 2nd Annual Golden Shoes, a community initiative that encourages people to stay physically active and shop locally.
• A Summer Concerts in the Park Series that will showcase some new performers and an extra show or two.
• Development of this web site.
• Expanding our already solid volunteer and membership bases and the incentives offered (i.e. member-to-member discounts, etc.).
• A retooled Marketing Committee, co-chaired by Michael Thurston and Nancy Driscoll, that will explore how to better market the downtown.
• Spearheaded by our Design Committee, a possible revamping of the unoccupied visitor’s hut in the Lenny’s/Brooks parking lot (pending approval from the lot’s owner, Richard Davis). After all, this is the gateway to the city center.
• A renewed partnership with other nonprofits with similar goals, such as Barre Area Development, the Town of Barre, Central Vermont Economic Development, the Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce, and the Montpelier Downtown Community Association.
• The expansion of the intensive public relations effort started in late 2005.
• More involvement of staff and students/young people from our schools. The “Scary Barre” and “Barre Merry Holiday” promotions were fantastic examples of that.
• An increased presence in the economic development realm; our Economic Restructuring Committee has undertaken an aggressive goals list for 2007 – furthering the Main Street Reconstruction, public safety, vacant storefronts/business recruitment, technical assistance for merchants, upper story redevelopment, consistent retail hours, etc.
• The continued utilization of both vacant and occupied storefronts as display spaces for locally produced artwork, nonprofit materials, etc.
• And more.

What can I contribute?

The Barre Partnership has different membership levels tailored to the budgets of our diverse constituency:

INDIVIDUAL - $45

BUSINESS - $125

FOUNDATION - $250

CORNERSTONE - $500

People who prefer to make a larger or smaller donation are certainly encouraged to do so. For example, some of our donors give $1,000 annually, while others donate $25. You may also make a gift towards one of our promotions (Summer Concerts Series, Golden Shoes, Motorheads Car Show, etc.).

Remember - each and every contribution is absolutely appreciated!

Can I volunteer my time instead?

Absolutely! Our executive director is our only full-time employee, which means we rely on volunteer "people power" to get things done. If you're up to the task, please contact (802) 476-0267 or barpart@barrecity.org.

Don't wait any longer. Your downtown needs you! A tax deductible donation to the Barre Partnership supports a group committed to the prosperity of our business community 24-7-365.