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Our Program in Action!

Plaid Friday & Small Business Saturday

On Plaid Friday, shop in Downtown Newnan and simplify your Day-After-Thanksgiving experience! The name “Plaid Friday” celebrates the idea of LOCAL!, The plaid pattern represents weaving the individual threads of small businesses together to create a strong fabric that celebrates the diversity and creativity of independent businesses. Plaid Friday is the relaxing and enjoyable alternative to the big box store “Black Friday,” and is designed to promote both local and independently owned businesses during the holidays.

Shop Small Y’all! Small Business Saturday is on the Saturday after Thankgiving in Downtown Newnan! Small Business Saturday is an annual shopping tradition dedicated to supporting small businesses across the country. Small Business Saturday was founded by American Express in 2010 and is celebrated every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This event supports the local economy and promotes our community.

Santa on the Square

Santa on the Square is also hosted each year on the day after Thanksgiving,the event lasts from 6pm- 8pm. Santa will arrives downtown in a Fire Truck, and will immediately lights the Christmas tree located on the Court House Square. After the lighting of the Christmas tree, children are invited to sit on Santa’s lap and read him their Christmas list! This annual tradition in Downtown Newnan reminds us all of the importance of the holiday season: fostering hope, charity, forgiveness and kindness. This Litter-Free Smoke Free event is free to the public, and welcomes children of all ages.

Holiday Sip & See

During the Holiday Sip and See, downtown retail establishments extend their normal business hours to introduce their holiday gift items, and offer special promotions or discounts. This event is a great opportunity for visitors to get started on their holiday shopping while the holiday inventory is plentiful! There will also be a night market, live music, and food trucks along with hor d'oeuvres and refreshments from the retailers. The Holiday Sip and See is also an opportunity for spectators to stroll our beautiful downtown streets with family and friends while enjoying the holiday hospitality of Downtown Newnan!

Munchkin Masquerade

Our downtown Trick-or-Treat for the little ones! The Munchkin Masquerade takes place on Halloween day at 10am will ends at noon. Children from around the greater Newnan- Coweta area gather in downtown Newnan around the courthouse square to collect treats from downtown businesses. Costumes are always welcomed and encouraged. This event typically hosts a crowd of around 1,000 children and lasts 2 hours.

Oktoberfest

In honor of local statewide breweries, the 2018 Oktoberfest event highlighted craft brews from across the state of Georgia. This year’s sponsors include LaGrange Grocery and Abide Brewing. Complimentary refreshments, retail sales specials and other treats were made available for all participating attendees. Each participant will receive a unique commemorative acrylic pint glass and an informational brochure detailing each of the participating locations and their specific beer offering.

Participating locations included: 15 Perry St, Ace Beer Growlers, Blue Fern Merchant, Blue Moon Boutique, C.S. Toggery, Cookie Barr, Corner Arts Gallery Studio & Gift Shop, Downtown Olive & Kitchen Supply Co., Dragonfly Running Co., Ellie Mack Boutique, Fine Lines Art & Framing, Footpaths Aromatic Reflexology, Georgia Peach Boutique, Gillyweed, Greenhouse Mercantile, Kat Eyes, Kendra’s, Let Them Eat Toffee, Louis Boynton Psychotherapy, Mayfair on the Square, Meat ‘N Greet, Morgan Jewelers, Nathan Brain State Farm, New Beginnings, Newnan Mercantile, Redneck Gourmet, The Alamo, The Mad Mexican, The Newnan Times-Herald, The Parlor Downtown Boutique, The Rustic Rose, Therapeautic Massage Center, Trek Bicycles of Newnan, Vinylyte Records & Brown’s Guitar Mill.

Screen on the Square

On Friday, August 3rd, Main Street Newnan hosted Screen on the Square. Main Street Newnan kicked off the school year by featuring the film “Peter Rabbit” at sunset on South Court Square. “Peter Rabbit” is based on the books by Beatrix Potter. The event was free to the public. Families brought blankets and or chairs to sit on.

Calling All DOGWALKERS!

We’ve made it easier to walk your fur-babies around the square, just one more reason to SHARE WITH CARE! Main Street Newnan is challenging the community to commit to the Share with Care pledge to assist with creating a safe and healthy vibrant district that is WALKABLE, and easy to access. Walkability is a measure of how friendly an area is to walking. Walkability is considered by certain factors, to include: the presence or absence and quality of footpaths, sidewalks or other pedestrian rights-of-way, traffic and road conditions, land use patterns, building accessibility, and safety. Walkability offers surprising benefits to our health, the environment, our finances, and our communities.Participants are encouraged to commit to the Share with Care pledge by placing the logo for the program on their vehicle.Contact Mainstreetnewnan@cityofnewnan.org to acquire your Share with Care Magnet.

7/14/18 NCBOR Alleyway Grant

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The Newnan-Coweta Board of Realtors® received a $2800 Placemaking grant from the National Association of Realtors® that will be dedicated to the Wadsworth Alley revitalization project.The grant has been awarded with the merit to transform an unused space into vibrant public space for the community to gather and enjoy.Funds will be used to bring community art to the alley, and to improve the environment for visitors.Main Street Newnan will assist to coordinate and manage the project, and we are currently recruiting additional community partners to work with a team of Newnan Placemakers.To find out more about National Association of Realtors® placemaking program visit, realtoractioncenter.org/Placemaking.

4th of July Parade

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Newnan celebrated 4th of July with the annual parade. The parade took place on Wednesday, July 4th at 9am. The local high school bands played patriotic tunes followed by a variety of walking groups and floats from neighborhoods, businesses, local churches, and organizations.

6/14/18 Planter Dedication

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Downtown Newnan has a new inventory of pollinator plants that are on display in front of 6 storefronts!This is the grand finale of the Downtown Planter Program’s pilot project.VFW Auxiliary 2667 coordinated this phase of the project, where leadership worked with Lowes to receive a plant donation, and Main Street Newnan to obtain materials and supplies.VFW Auxiliary 2667 worked with a group of volunteers and local farmers to assemble the plant material during the season opening of the Coweta County Farmers Market on the Square. The planters are filled with lavender, lantana, and cherry tomatoes- an unconventional variety of plant material to be seen as decorative attributes to commercial storefronts.Pollinator plants work to improve conditions for a healthy environment because pollinators sustain our ecosystems.

Newnan-Coweta Habitat for Humanity, Main Street Newnan and Keep Newnan Beautiful worked together to create the guidelines for the Downtown Planter Program in the Summer of 2017, and in the Spring of 2018, a local Boy Scout Troop committed to manage the construction of the planters.Under the leadership of Will Harper, Troup # 2193 Cokes Chapel spent a Saturday in May completing the project.Mr. Harper worked with community partners to obtain donations to complete the project, which amounted to nearly $1,200 in materials.Mr. Harper is now an Eagle Scout, he earned this accolade after presenting the project to the Eagle Scout Board Review in May 2018.VFW Auxiliary 2667’s commitment to the project and the community was in part to recognize youth engagement, and to bolster the completion of Mr. Harper’s vision for the project.

The planters were delivered to business owners by the City of Newnan’s Sanitation Program on June 6, 2018, and dedicated on June 14, 2018.They are currently displayed outside of participating storefronts: Kat Eyes and Greenhouse Mercantile on East Washington Street; Downtown Olive and Wildwood Trader off of Greenville Street; and Kendra’s and Morgan Jewelers off of North Court Square.

Newnan: A Storybook Town

A new crew of wild animals have surrounded Downtown Newnan, and we are thankful for Children Connect Children’s Museum for bringing in the heard to share their story with our community!“Newnan: A Storybook Town” is the theme for this public art project, which is the organization’s third fiberglass figure art fundraiser.The figures hearken back to Coweta’s agricultural heritage, where visitors will find artistic interpretations of various animals, to include figurines in the shapes of; cows, mules, pigs and roosters.Each animal has been sponsored by a member of the community and painted by local artists.The animals also represent a story that is written as a Children’s Book, and is available for purchase through Children’s Connect.The animals were presented in June of 2018, and will be on display for several months.

Summer NewnaNights

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On the 2nd Thursday of each Summer month (June, July, & August) Main Street Newnan is hosting an event called Summer Newnanights! The event consists of live music, food trucks, and a small market! It is a great night to come out an enjoy HOT Georgia summer nights with the community!

Summer Wined Up

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The Summer Wined-Up occurred on Friday, June 8, 2018 from 5-9 pm. The Summer Wined-Up is our downtown wine-tasting event, and takes place each year during the month of June. Individual tastings occur at a different downtown business, where guests should expect to perform a “wine walk” that moves through over 30 host locations. The merchants who host this event will feature different hor d'oeuvres and a variety of whites, reds, and specialty blend wines for guests to sample. All downtown business hosts are extend their business hours and hospitality to all downtown guests; drinkers, and non-drinkers, including retail specials and promotions.


A FREE Live Jazz concert put on by the Newnan Cultural Arts Commission took place after the event at the Greenville Street Park. This year’s performer was Robin Latimore.

Tucked Away Music Festival

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On Saturday, May 12, 2018 Main Street Newnan hosted the Tucked Away Music Festival from 2pm-6pm. Event attendees had the unique opportunity to visit stages placed in public parking lots and alleyways throughout the district.

Featured Bands of the Music Festival Included: Crossroads Rebellion, Kris Youmans Band, The Wyatt Band and James Tyler Wallce. Music was also be provided by Stella Weaver, Pickin’ on the Square.


Thank you to Magnolia Balloon Boutique for the awesome balloon installation!

5/10/18 & 5/11/18 Merchant Art Installation

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Downtown creativity at its finest!Many thanks to the Downtown Merchants that assisted to develop this temporary art installation that will be on display during the Tucked Away Music Festival.This volunteer gathered on the mornings of May 10- 11, 2018 to design the process, and to hang the magazine chain.We are lucky to have such a talented pull of innovators that are excited to assist with activating this space!

5/5/18 Placemaking

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Many thanks to the student volunteers that worked to complete Placemaking projects for Wadsworth Alley.Their efforts will be on debut during the Tucked Away Music Festival.Students recycled over 100ft of magazine pages that will be repurposed as a temporary art instillation for the Tucked Away Music Festival.Students cut magazine pages into 2-3 inch strips and stapled links together to create a chain that will drape across the alley, and around architectural features.Students also completed the second phase of an art project to create a community outreach chalk board, and installed components for another interpretive art project that was created by Backstreet Arts.This piece is uniquely designed as a malleable magnet board that visitors can use to create various patterns and designs.Backstreet’s created the magnet board by upcycling street signs using magnetic paint.

5/5/18 Downtown Planter Construction

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Downtown Newnan salutes a local Boy Scout for his hard work and dedication to a project that will lead to one of his largest accomplishments.Newnan-Coweta Habitat for Humanity, Main Street Newnan and Keep Newnan Beautiful have been working together to launch a planter donation program.The objectives of the project are to encourage sustainability, community involvement, and unity in design by introducing 12 cedar box planters to downtown Newnan filled with pollinator plants.Plans for the project were first discussed in June of 2017, and in 2018 the project nearly came to a halt because the group could not identify a source for cedar.Our team accredits the leadership of local Boy Scout for identifying the resources needed to construct the planters.

On Saturday, May 5, 2018, 16-year-old Newnan High School sophomore, Will Harper, partnered with NCHFH to build pollinator planters for merchants in downtown Newnan. Currently a Life Scout, Harper is utilizing the pollinator planter project to demonstrate his project management skills so that he can earn his Eagle Scout designation. He effectively recruited 12 local Eagle Scouts; procured cedar wood from Mawal, in Fairburn; and pre-cut the wood and assembled sample pollinators with the help of Terry Love, NCHFH’s construction associate. An Eagle Scout designation is the highest rank and honor a young man can receive from the Boy Scouts of America. It embodies integrity, valiance and deference and can only be achieved through hard work and diligence. In addition to the pollinator planter project, Harper must demonstrate that he lives by the principles of the Scout Oath and Scout Law in his daily life; earn a total of 21 merit badges; serve in a leadership role within his unit, which he fulfilled by being the troops Patrol Leader and Representative to the Order of the Arrow; and complete a review with the Eagle Scout Board Review.Harper is actively involved in Newnan High School’s ambassador program, student government and football team.

4/28/18 The Great American Clean Up

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The Great American Clean Up took place on April 28, 2018, and WOW!Many thanks to Keep Newnan Beautiful for bringing a dynamic group of partners and volunteers together to complete several downtown projects!Student volunteers worked repurpose 5-Gallon buckets into a seating area for Wadsworth Alley.The Redneck Gourmet donated the former food containers to Keep Newnan Beautiful to upcycle during the event.They have been spray-painted in bright colors, and are ready for use!Students also painted a chalkboard that will be used for community engagement, completing the first phase of that project.Other volunteers worked within Wadsworth Alley during the event to maintain ongoing beautification efforts.Volunteers worked to maintain ongoing landscaping efforts and to remove invasive plants from the area.This team also worked to paint and transform 3 filing cabinets into a community garden.The filing cabinets were donated by Habitat for Humanity of Coweta County, and supplies were donated by Lowes.Foundation Christian Church worked on behalf of Coweta Serves to mulch and plant the community garden using seedlings that were produced by Keep Newnan Beautiful and Main Street Newnan.Any produce that is grown in Wadsworth Alley will be donated to Bridging the Gap.

Taste of Newnan

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Taste of Newnan Spring 2018 took place Thursday, April 12th from 5:00 to 8:30 PM on Downtown Newnan’s Court Square.

The Taste of Newnan is a fun-filled, family event that is hosted twice a year along the square in downtown Newnan, where the entire community is invited to sample menu items from our fantastic Newnan-Coweta restaurants and caterers.During the event, a crowd of over 7,000 visitors come downtown to try “tastes” (small food or drink portions) from over 30 local Newnan-Coweta food vendors.Each taste ranges between 1- 10 tickets, with each ticket costing $1.The event begins at 5:00 p.m., and lasts until 8:30 p.m.

Entertainment is also provided during the event, with two stages featuring family-friendly, live music by Musicology, and a “Kid’s Zone” along West Washington Avenue, equipped with rides, inflatables, and more!

4/6/18 NCBOR Alleyway Clean Up

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Many Thanks to the Newnan Coweta Board of Realtors for their hard work!A team of diligent realtors met on April 6th, 2018 to work beside City staff to complete an Alleyway Beautification Project.The project resulted in laying down 2 truckloads of mulch (donated by Newnan Utilities), outlining an exterior court yard- seating area, relocating grease traps, designating spaces for trash cans, and tending to invasive plants, or trouble areas.This endeavor took several hours of hard work and dedication.This space has undergone a complete transformation, and we are excited to see what the future has in store for Wadsworth Alley.

4/4/18 Spring Seedlings

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Oh what fun!The Main Street Newnan office has been full of adventure this spring!Keep Newnan Beautiful donated dozens of seed packets to our program, and we have attempted to grow seedlings that community partners will use to “spruce up” the downtown district.Many thanks to Foundation Christian Church for taking on the next phase of the project.We were thrilled to work with these young community leaders on April 4, 2018 to transfer our seedlings to a new home!The children learned how to transfer seedlings into containers, and several families will continue to babysit these plants into maturity.Future plans are being considered to permanently relocate the plants into a container garden in Wadsworth Alley.If the plants reach maturity, the produce will be donated to Bridging the Gap to feed families in need.

Spring Art Walk

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Our favorite way to kick off spring is the Spring Art Walk. The Art Walk took place on Friday, March 23rd from 5:00 pm – 9:00pm.

The Art Walk Event is a celebration of art, and is hosted twice a year in Downtown Newnan! Downtown businesses stayed open late, offered hors d'oeurvres and drinks, and featured local artists. We had over 30 participating locations and the work of over 40 local artists. This year's theme was chalk! We had two local high schools (Newnan High School and East Coweta High School) come out and display their talents on the sidewalks. The night was filled with art of all kinds!

Participating businesses included: Blue Fern Merchant, Blue Moon Boutique, C.S. Toggery, Corner Arts Gallery Studio & Gift Shop, Dolled, Downtown Olive & Kitchen Supply Co., Ellie Mack Boutique, Fine Lines Art & Framing, Gillyweeds, Greenhouse Mercantile, Headley Construction, Janis Intuitive Medium, Leaf & Bean, Let them eat Toffee!, Local Provisions, Morgan Jewelers, New Beginnings, Newnan Mercantile, Newnan Presbyterian Church-Courtyard, Polish Me Pretty Nail Salon & Boutique, Redneck Gourmet, Rednexican, The Boyd Gallery, The Fitness Center of Piedmont Newnan, The Newnan Times-Herald, Vinylyte Records, and Wildwood Trader.

Alleyway Beautification

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Community partners met on Wednesday March 21, 2018 to complete a service project to improve the condition of Wadsworth Alley. This alleyway beautification effort was coordinated by Main Street Newnan and Keep Newnan Beautiful. These two organizations worked with dozens of property owners and business owners to gain permission to remove bulk waste from the alley, an effort that was facilitated by volunteers. Volunteer teams included the Newnan Coweta Board of Realtors, Waste Industries and Meat N Greet. The City of Newnan's Public Works Department and Gentry Salvage assisted to dispose of bulk items cost free on behalf of business owners, and property owners.There are future improvement projects that are planned to take place throughout the year with the intent to continue to keep this space maintained.


Interested in learning more about Alleyway beautification and revitalization projects? CLICK HERE for information and updates.

THIS PLACE MATTERS!

OWNTOWN NEWNAN! THIS PLACE MATTERS.....

Downtown Newnan would like to invite our community to participate in a Place Making project, and we are asking YOU to make and share history! All that you need to get started is a cell phone and a memory that took place in Downtown Newnan. This Place Matters is national campaign that encourages people to celebrate the places that are meaningful to them and to their communities.This Place Matters was founded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and has trickled into communities across the United States, including Newnan, Georgia!

Please click here for more information about participating, and to submit a story! Please click here to review stories that have been submitted.

Empty Storefront Project

Main Street Newnan has launched an empty storefront program in 2018. This program seeks to filled empty retail spaces with historic photos, community information, galleries, studios and scenes to encourage interest for potential business owners. It is an opportunity to spur economic growth by creating a vision for entrepreneurs, and to provide a cost effective option for property owners to activate an empty space.

Please contact Main Street Newnan for more information. We welcome inquiries from downtown property owners! We are also looking for community partners to assist with designing empty storefronts, or showcasing art.

Win the Window

Win the Window was a downtown scavenger hunt geared toward stirring activity and foot traffic downtown during a traditionally slow season.The promotion showcased an empty storefront, numerous businesses and photos of Historic Downtown Newnan through 100 years of business.The window displaying the prize was located at 21 W Court Square.This location was the home of Knight Printing, and it currently the home of Gillyweeds. Participating businesses include: Blue Moon Boutique, Corner Arts Gallery Studio & Gift Shop, Dragonfly Running Company, Ellie Mack Boutique, Fine Lines Art & Framing, Gillyweed, Grit & Grace Studio to Streetwear, Morgan Jewelers, Newnan Mercantile, Piedmont Newnan Fitness Center, Typo Market, Wildwood Trader.

The game for the hunt was to direct guests to find “Hidden Gems” (historic photos of Newnan) that were placed amongst merchandise in participating businesses. Once the visitor found the Hidden Gem, they would present it to the participating business for an entry form to win!Visitors were permitted one form per Hidden Gem that they discovered, increasing their likelihood to win with each business they visited.

Drawings took place weekly on Wednesday, and the photos were replaced by Thursday within each participating business.Each week featured a set of photos from a different decade, and a related clue was published at mainstreetnewnan.com. Each window featured between $300- $700 worth of gift items that were donated by our local businesses.

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