Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
The 2025 Main Street Now conference, billed as the largest national conference for leaders of local Main Street organizations, was held last week in Philadelphia.
Kate Schwenk and Darla Blazey from Heart of Jasper, that city’s Main Street organization, and Sadie Miskuf, director of Magnificent Monon South, a regional revitalization effort focused on the communities along the Monon South Trail, attended the three-day conference.
It was Heart of Jasper’s first time to attend a Main Street Now conference.
“We networked with other Main Street directors from Indiana and other states,” Schwenk said. “We attended many great sessions and brought back fresh ideas, and we had a fun time sightseeing in Philly! We are grateful for the opportunity to attend this conference.”
Schwenk is the director of Heart of Jasper; Blazey is a board member. Heart of Jasper formed as a Main Street organization in 2020. In January, the group earned the distinction of becoming a Nationally Accredited Main Street.
The group manages a downtown facade program that receives funding from the city of Jasper. Over the past four years, building owners have completed 23 facade projects in the downtown.
Heart of Jasper also plans downtown events, including:
- Movies on Main, occurring monthly
- Live music in the summer
- Shop and Sip, a monthly event when stores stay open later
- Love Your Community cleanup days twice a year
More than 2,000 attended the conference. Miskuf said she returned from the conference “incredibly inspired and energized.”
“It was an amazing experience filled with valuable learning opportunities and meaningful connections with fellow Main Streeters from across the country,” Miskuf said. “I attended a variety of sessions, including ones on historic preservation, small business attraction, and new grant opportunities available for our six downtown districts. One highlight was learning about Oregon’s innovative Rural Regional Main Street model – something I’m excited to explore further.”
The Magnificent Monon South was created in 2024 by Radius Indiana. Over the past year, Miskuf has worked with leaders in the six trail communities about opportunities the Monon South Trail will bring to their towns. Miskuf also coordinated plein air painting sessions with students from IU and Ivy Tech to illustrate the trail towns.
It’s estimated that once the 60-mile trail is complete, it will attract between 25,000 and 93,000 non-local users per year. More visitors mean more dollars spent at stores, restaurants and gas stations. The projected economic impact from the completed trail is between $2.1 million to $6.9 million annually, according to a study by the Eppley Center for Parks and Public Lands at Indiana University.
“I’m so proud to represent our six downtowns of the Magnificent Monon South and can’t wait to share the knowledge and connections I’ve gained to help strengthen and grow our communities,” Miskuf said.
