You're Invited!
In case you haven't heard, the August event celebrating Senator Patrick Leahy's 47-year career revitalizing our historic city, town and village centers has been rescheduled! Hosted by municipal leaders and downtown advocates from across the state, join us for a fun afternoon on October 10th from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in downtown Waterbury at the Rusty Parker Memorial Park.
For more than four decades, Senator Patrick Leahy has been a champion of the historic built environments that help define Vermont and serve as the epicenter of Vermont life. Since establishing his first Senate office in the then-slated-for-demolition fire house in downtown Burlington in 1975, Leahy has put our historic downtowns at the center of his economic development agenda.
He has championed investments in historic preservation programs that nearly every downtown has benefited from, created new ones (like the National Park Service Paul Bruhn Historic Revitalization Grants Program), earmarked grants for housing, sewer and water projects that have served as catalysts for redevelopment, and fought for the businesses that make our downtowns great. When tragedy has hit our downtowns, from fires in Randolph, St. Johnsbury or Brattleboro, and floods in Waterbury, Northfield and Montpelier -- he has made sure the federal resources were there to rebuild better. Now it’s time to celebrate those contributions by having a little fun in his hometown downtown!
1:00 PM: Music, snacks and drinks
2:30 PM: Program / Toast to Senator Patrick Leahy
3:30-5 PM: Live music featuring Vermont musicians
The event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are appreciated, and will sign you up for event updates and inclement weather plans. A taste of Waterbury’s downtown will be complementary, and there will be a cash bar. More information is available HERE.
“Senator Leahy has often spoken about how important Vermont’s iconic gathering places, villages centers, and downtowns are to a sense of place,” said Ben Doyle, President of the Preservation Trust of Vermont. “Thanks to his leadership, small towns around Vermont have maintained and revitalized the communities they love.”
