Clayton to Host 2012 "Main Street" Conference

Clayton has been selected to host the 2012 "North Carolina Main Street" Conference, which will bring officials of the 61 Main Street towns and cities, as well as the 28 Small Town Main Street communities across North Carolina to town for a series of workshops and meetings.

The Conference is scheduled for January 25-27, 2012.

The announcement was made by Liz Parham, Director of the Office of Urban Development and the North Carolina Main Street Center, at the closing session of this year's annual conference in New Bern. The Program, part of the Department of Commerce’s Division of Community Assistance, provides technical assistance, education and networking opportunities to its communities.

”We are honored and delighted that Clayton was chosen to host this important conference in 2012,” said Ed Knight, President, Clayton Downtown Development Association. ”This will be an opportunity to show that downtown and all of Clayton is a great place to invest.”

Clayton Mayor Jody McLeod agreed. “The conference is a huge opportunity for Clayton, and we will be calling on numerous groups to make it a positive and memorable experience for attendees, businesses and citizens alike,” he said.

The 2011 conference will be held in Shelby.

Most of the conference activities in 2012 will be held at The Clayton Center, a historic complex housing a performing arts auditorium and meeting facilities, located in the heart of downtown. Attendees will also have plenty of opportunity to tour, shop and dine downtown as well as visit other area attractions.

This year's Conference explored the theme of ”Downtown: The Key to Recovery” with 20 different presentations on a variety of initiatives that have been tested in different communities. More than 400 from all over the state attended.

Based on economic revitalization within the context of historic preservation, the program was created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in an effort to share an effective downtown revitalization strategy which they had developed for smaller towns. Since the program began in 1980, combined public and private investment in North Carolina Main Street downtowns has grown to more than $1.4 billion. Clayton has been a Main Street community since 2006.

The Clayton Downtown Development Association is a non-profit organization formed to coordinate revitalization work in the historic downtown district. The Clayton DDA organizes several special events, including the Town Square Concert Series, Oktoberfest, and the Christmas Village & Tree Lighting, administers incentives for downtown improvements, and advocates and provides business improvement services in the downtown district.