Georgia Govenor Sunny Perdue visits Currahee Military Museum

The Currahee Military Museum in downtown Toccoa hosted a special guest on Tuesday, January 5, when Govenor Sunny Perdue stopped by to see the exhibits and show his support for State Representative Michael Harden of Toccoa.

Perdue said he was impressed by the museum exhibits and learned a great deal about Toccoa and Stephens County.

“This is extremely well done,” said Perdue. “To walk through brought back a real spirit of gratitude and patriotism over what this community contributed, through the training of those heroes in World War II that literally changed the history of the world.”

“What you have ... has enabled me as governor to come and learn something about my own state, about how these men trained here in this area. Also, I didn’t know Paul Anderson was born here either. Obviously, with the Paul Anderson home and what he did for the lives of young people is very important.”

Representative Harden said he was pleased to have the Govenor's support and was glad he could show the Govenor the Currahee Military Museum.

In addition to viewing the exhibits, Govenor Perdue oversaw construction of a new exhibit at the museum, which will showcase exhibits from local veterans of all wars. The new exhibit is scheduled to open in the Spring of 2010.

(Quotes of the Govenor were contributed by Charlie Bauder, News Director for AM 630 WNEG Radio. Photo curtsy of Jessica Waters, News Editor for The Toccoa Record.)

Main Street Facebook Group reaches 500 members

One year ago, about a dozen people joined the newly formed Main Street Toccoa Facebook Group. What a difference a year makes.

On Tuesday, December 29, Sarah Williams Coleman was the 500th person to join the increasingly popular site.

In recognition of this milestone, Main Street Events Coordinator Sharon Crosby presented Sarah with a gift package featuring promotional materials from Main Street’s 20 annual events.

Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. The site boasts more than 350 million active users.

Members of Main Street Toccoa’s Facebook Group have access to photos of the area, event information, updates from downtown, and discussions of local interest. There is no cost to join.

"We have primarily used Facebook to help remind members about upcoming events in downtown Toccoa," said Main Street Assistant Shawn Apostel. "When members RSVP to our events, then all their friends are notified. Friends can then RSVP to the same event, thereby spreading the news to people we may not reach otherwise."

Now that the group is one year old, Main Street Toccoa is planning on utilizing the site to announce special promotions for downtown businesses and promoting downtown as a destination for dining, shopping, living and playing.

Main Street also uses Facebook to share photos illustrating the natural and historic beauty of our community and to encourage people who have moved away to remember the fond memories they have of Toccoa.

Tabor to serve on the Georgia Downtown Association Board of Directors

Toccoa’s voice in Atlanta just got a little stronger.

Connie Tabor, the City of Toccoa’s Community Planning and Downtown Development Director, has been selected to be a member on the Georgia Downtown Association Board of Directors.

The GDA is a non-profit association that promotes the economic redevelopment of Georgia's traditional downtowns. Through advocacy, education and marketing, GDA works to focus the public's attention on the value of downtown. GDA is an independent association that supports both public and private sector efforts targeted at enhancing Georgia's downtowns.

"I’m flattered to be asked to serve on the board, and honored for the general membership to put their support in me," said Tabor.

GDA has a number of programs that are designed to increase the opportunities for and multiply the talents of its members. Membership in the Georgia Downtown Association include cities, downtown development authorities, businesses, professionals and other individuals interested in downtown.

GDA annually sponsors the Georgia Downtown Conference in partnership with the Georgia Department of Community Affairs as well as professional development programs. GDA is involved in legislative issues and mentoring programs for younger members.

Tabor will assist the board with the professional development program, having obtained her Master GA Downtown Development Professional Certification in October 2008. She will continue to assist in the mentoring program, supporting young managers as they grow into seasoned managers.

“Mission Toccoa” recognized as “Best Downtown Special Event” by Georgia DCA

Downtown Toccoa’s participation in the Georgia Cities Heart and Soul Bus Tour back in April has garnered statewide recognition.

The Georgia Downtown Association and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs announced that "Mission Toccoa" was the "Best Downtown Special Event" at as special ceremony during the annual Georgia Downtown Conference on October 8 in Roswell, GA. (Pictured receiving the award are, from left, Shawn Apostel, Sharon Crosby, and Connie Tabor -- photo by Billy Chism.)

The Best Downtown Special Event is presented to an organization displaying excellence in planning and staging a festival, promotional series or other special downtown based event.

"Mission Toccoa" showcased Toccoa’s history and downtown renovation efforts to the Heart and Soul VIP’s while creating a memorable experience for the tour participants. To accomplish this, Toccoa Main Street created a virtual WWII era experience (based on Toccoa’s role in training paratroopers during WWII) for the participants, complete with era-inspired video reels, newspaper insert, role-playing, and entertainment.

Each correspondence with visitors and participants was designed and produced to mimic a WWII era format. (Visit http://www.mainstreettoccoa.com/heartandsoul.html to see some of the promotional material created for the event.)

"The overall impact of Mission Toccoa was a great success," said Connie Tabor, Community Planning and Downtown Development Director. "The event allowed us to showcase Toccoa’s history and revitalization efforts to potential investors and developers and continues to bring repeat inquiries and visits to Main Street."

"We also want to thank all the volunteers who helped make Mission Toccoa such a success," said Tabor. "I’d especially like to thank the County, Development Authority, Chamber, and Historical Society for all they did and continue to do for Main Street Toccoa."

The Georgia Downtown Awards were established to recognized individuals, downtown programs, and/or businesses that have demonstrated unique efforts in making a difference in their downtowns. The award categories are based on the 4-Point Approach of downtown revitalization as developed by the National Trust’s Main Street Center and focus on Organization, Promotion, Design, and Economic Restructuring.

Toccoa Main Street hosts film crew

Main Street Toccoa hosted a film crew on Wednesday and some downtown patrons were invited to take part in the filming.

The crew is capturing film for an informational piece about Toccoa's historic downtown. The video will be shown on Navy ships to take the place of commercials. (We hope to get a copy of this video to share online.)

They visited the Currahee Military Museum, the Historic Courthouse, Paul Anderson Park, and Toccoa Falls. They also collected video footage from several downtown businesses.

Today they'll be doing a piece on Mrs. Shirley Combs and her restaurant (Shirley's Soul Food Cafe) focusing on her outreach to the community. This video will also be shown on Navy ships.