Georgia Main Street Program

Summer is the perfect time to show your downtown some love! ☀️

This week, we’re spotlighting Downtown LaGrange with three simple ways to support your local Main Street this season:

🛍️ Shop local — Browse downtown businesses, pick up something special, and support the people behind the storefronts.

🎶 Attend an event — From concerts and markets to community celebrations, showing up helps keep downtown energy alive.

👯 Bring a friend downtown — Invite someone to grab lunch, explore the shops, or spend an afternoon discovering what makes LaGrange special.

Every visit makes a difference. This summer, make plans to support your favorite Georgia Main Street community!

Downtown LaGrange Visit LaGrange

Congratulations to Downtown Monroe, Georgia Main Street’s June 2026 Downtown of the Month! 🎉

Located in the heart of Walton County, Monroe has long been a center of community life, commerce, and local pride. From its historic courthouse square to its beautifully preserved downtown buildings, Monroe continues to honor its past while building an exciting future.

As a 2026 GEMS community, Downtown Monroe is a strong example of leadership, organization, and commitment to the Main Street Approach. Their momentum is clear: in 2025, Monroe welcomed 377,294 attendees through 54 promotional events, supported 1,273 volunteer hours, and reported more than $17 million in public and private investment downtown.

With new and expanding businesses, building rehabilitation projects, public improvements, and a strong sense of place, Downtown Monroe is where history and momentum meet.

We are proud to celebrate the people, partnerships, and progress that make Monroe such a standout in Georgia’s Main Street network! 👏

Thank you to Carly and the Downtown Jasper GA team for a wonderful site visit and tour of all the exciting work happening in your community! ✨

It was great to meet several local business owners and board members, hear about the continued momentum in downtown Jasper, and see projects taking shape throughout the community, including the new amphitheater and park, made possible with support from an ARC grant.

We also loved learning about an upcoming collaborative placemaking project that will include help from local high school students, bringing fresh creativity and community pride into the heart of downtown.

We can’t wait to see these projects come to life! 👏

Congratulations to the City of Canton on receiving a 2026 Preservation Service Award from The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

Through its Main Street program, local historic district, long-range planning, and major public investment, Canton has made preservation a key part of its growth strategy.

From the Jones Mercantile Building and former Canton High School, now serving as City Hall, to historic public safety facilities and the continued stewardship of the Canton Theatre, Canton is showing how communities can protect their history while creating active spaces for downtown life, local pride, and future investment.

City of Canton GA Downtown Canton GA

Fox Gives will open the 2026/2027 Single-Year Grant application portal on Monday, June 8, 2026, with funding available in all four grant categories. 🎭✨

Thinking about applying? Make plans to attend one of the June workshops first! In-person workshops will be offered in Winterville and Marietta, with a virtual option also available.

Applications are due Friday, July 31, 2026, so now is the perfect time to learn more, ask questions, and get prepared. 🗓️

A big thank you to Fox Gives, Georgia Council for the Arts, the City of Winterville, and the Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre for helping make these opportunities available.

Learn more and register here:
https://www.foxtheatre.org/the-fox-single-year-grants

Congratulations to Gainesville-Hall County on receiving a 2026 Excellence in Rehabilitation Award from The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation for the Walton Jackson Building.

Built after Gainesville’s devastating 1936 tornado, this Art Deco downtown landmark reflects the city’s resilience and recovery. Its rehabilitation preserved standout historic features like the marble exterior, green accents, steel trusses, brick walls, and heart pine details while adapting the space for new commercial and community uses.

Now home to local businesses, a gallery, and a meeting venue, this project is a great example of how preservation can support downtown activity while honoring a community’s story.

Downtown Gainesville

What do legacy businesses, local makers, and high-performing entrepreneurs all have in common?

They each help shape the identity, economy, and future of our downtowns — but they may need different types of support to thrive.

Main Street America’s Spring 2026 Small Business Survey offers a closer look at what small businesses are experiencing and how Main Street communities can respond with more targeted, meaningful support.

Read more here: https://shorturl.at/4ukVO

Help us celebrate the businesses that make our downtowns special — tag or highlight a small business in your community that deserves a little extra love!

Congratulations to Bainbridge-Decatur County on receiving a 2026 Excellence in Rehabilitation Award from The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation for the Old Post Office.

A downtown landmark since 1914, the former post office and federal courthouse has been brought back to life as an event venue with guest suites and a speakeasy-style bar.

By restoring historic spaces like the grand lobby and former mail-sorting room while preserving original details throughout, this project shows how civic landmarks can find new purpose and continue anchoring downtown life.

Downtown Bainbridge, GA

Same table. Different downtown playbooks. 🍽️✨

Whether you’re making the reservation or finding the spot with the best patio energy, downtown is the place to gather, catch up, and make a regular night feel a little more fun.

Which team are you? 👇

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