The LuLac Edition #4,666 January 12th, 2022

 WRITE ON WEDNESDAY

      Our “Write On Wednesday” logo.

This week we feature an article written by Susan Magnotta from the Diamond City Partnership who writes words that bear repeating about embracing your own hometown’s downtown. The piece appeared in the Times Leader. Take a look.

 

COMMUNITY CONNECTION KEY TO DOWNTOWN SUCCESS

 It doesn’t matter where you live – large city, small town, the suburbs or rural area – it’s the feeling of being connected to your community and to others that helps create a sense of happiness and purpose, and can be a large a part of what gives our lives meaning.

In 2001, Tom Hanks was nominated for an Academy Award for his memorable performance in the movie Cast Away as the sole survivor of a plane crash washed ashore on a deserted island. He is tested physically and mentally as he develops the skills over years to survive; his only contact being Wilson, a volleyball, whose friendship essentially gives Hanks the strength and sense of community he needs to overcome truly difficult circumstances.

Prior to COVID-19, the sense of community in Downtown Wilkes-Barre was contributing to its success. Downtown was making a rebound. Lunchtime saw workers from large and small employers filling the streets to patronize restaurants and small businesses whose owners welcomed them by name. Visitors to arts and culture venues could also enjoy a meal in downtown’s international dining district offering foods from around the world.

The pandemic has impacted every aspect of life in the downtown, especially for the small business and restaurant owners who lost customers due to remote work. Many were not from here but invested in our downtown and region. And like the people native to Northeastern Pennsylvania, they are strong and resilient and have worked diligently to overcome unprecedented challenges and keep their doors open.

On Dec. 31, my family enjoyed an amazing New Year’s Eve meal at Bronco’s Vault Brazilian Steakhouse on its last day of business in the downtown. For 18 months, owner Edeline Falcon and her wonderful staff offered a unique product and provided excellent customer service, but found opening a restaurant of its size in the middle of a pandemic was not sustainable. However, like my other downtown restaurant friends, Falcon is resilient, hopeful for the future, and appreciative for the support she received from the community.

There is much reason for all to be hopeful for the future of Downtown Wilkes-Barre. The Diamond City Partnership (DCP) enters this year with a much more robust team of staff and volunteers to address the issues we face. Talented community thought leaders with a commitment to making our center city vibrant are championing our “Transformation Teams” on Economic Vitality, Downtown Design and Promotion.

A Downtown Arts Council will launch in 2022 to bring together the arts and culture offerings in the downtown and increase the number of cultural events throughout the year.

The wind is also at our back to make Downtown feel like a true college town. In 2020, The Downtown College Ambassador Program was launched by Medina Saeed, a DCP intern at the time. As part of the program, college interns from King’s College and Wilkes University worked one-on-one with downtown business owners to provide technical assistance with social media, graphic design, marketing, website development and more.

The program has expanded to include Penn State Wilkes-Barre and will be welcoming Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) and Misericordia University students. After conducting several round tables with over 50 local college students, we have a better understanding of what they are seeking in a downtown experience. The students are enthusiastic and working with the DCP team to bring a college town “cool factor” to our center city.

The community can also look forward the continuation of celebrations in Downtown such as the summer series of Sunsets on South Main live music happy hours, Downtown Discoveries Family Fun Fest, Cocktails and Culture events, SIPS Happy Hours, Downtown Dine Out restaurant week and many more events in 2022.

Just as Tom Hanks’ Cast Away character needed Wilson as his connection to a sense of community, we need each other more than ever right now – in our personal lives and to help our downtown rebound from the pandemic.

If you want a vibrant downtown in the future, please support our restaurants and small businesses now. You won’t be disappointed. And if you have time and talent to offer in 2022, we are just an email (susan@wbdcp.org) away. The fate of downtown is in the hands of our community. We have every reason to be hopeful. We invite you to join DCP’s ever growing team of staff and volunteers of “Downtowners” working together to reinvent our center city and give it the very brightest of futures.