Benicia Main Street Named Quarterfinalist In Nationwide Contest

BENICIA, CA - From Benicia Main Street: The national small business movement, Independent We Stand, announces the quarterfinalists, including Benicia Main Street, in the 2019 “America’s Main Streets” contest. As the lifeblood of our cities and towns, Main Streets play an important role in the long-term success of communities and help build a sense of place. Independent We Stand invites the public to vote for their favorite quarterfinalist and move a deserving Main Street one step closer to the grand prize of $25,000.

Benicia Main Street has been in need of additional room in the Southern Pacific Depot for many years and would use the prize money as matching funds for a grant for ADA (Americans with Disabilities) access to the Depot's Freight Room, giving access to nearly 1,000 sq. /ft. of underutilized space. The space would then be used as an art gallery and an additional space to display historic memorabilia to further boost Benicia's rich community of artists and history.

“As President of the Benicia Main Street Board of Directors, I was delighted to be informed this morning by Nancy Martinez, our Executive Director, that BMS has again reached the quarterfinals in the national America’s Main Streets Contest! We ask all of you to please continue to vote daily for Benicia Main Street to recognize the wonderful work that the organization does for our community,” said Mike Caplin, Board President of Benicia Main Street.

Nearly 230,000 total votes were cast for 232 entrants during the nominations phase. The 2019 quarterfinalists in alphabetical order are:

· Belleville Main Street, Belleville, Ill.
· Benicia Main Street, Benicia, Calif.
· Cambridge Main Street, Cambridge, Ohio
· Canton Main Street, Canton, Ga.
· Center Street/Downtown Rutland, Rutland, Vt.
· Corning's Gaffer District, Corning, N.Y.
· Downtown Big Rapids, Big Rapids, Mich.
· Downtown Elkin Historic Main Street, Elkin, N.C.
· Downtown Jeffersonville, Jeffersonville, Ind.
· Downtown Montpelier, Montpelier, Vt.
· Herrick Avenue, Wellington, Ohio
· Historic Downtown Ripon, Ripon, Wis.
· Jacksonville Main Street, Jacksonville, Ill.
· LaBelle Downtown Revitalization Corporation, LaBelle, Fla.
· Lincoln Avenue, Bellevue, Pa.
· Logansport, Indiana, Logansport, Ind.
· Lost Nation Main Street, Lost Nation, Iowa
· Main Street Amherst, Amherst, Ohio
· Main Street Covington, Covington, Ga.
· Main Street Hayward, Hayward, Wis.
· Peru, Indiana, Peru, Ind.
· Saco Main Street, Saco, Maine
· Texarkana Main Street, Texarkana, Ark./Texas
· Uptown Butte, Montana, Butte, Mont.
· Wellsboro Main Street, Wellsboro, Pa.

Semifinalist voting begins April 29 at MainStreetContest.com and runs through May 26. Vote for Benicia Main Street online at www.mainstreetcontest.com/profile/33.

The top 10 semifinalists will be announced May 27. The winner of the 2019 “America’s Main Streets” contest will be announced June 3 followed by a “Main Streets Make Us Better” celebration on the Fourth of July, when the winner will announce how the prize money will be used.

Additional contest prizes include:

· STIHL Equipment Certificate for $1,000 worth of STIHL equipment good at any STIHL Dealer in the U.S.
· Do it Best Corp. $500 shopping spree
· Free One Day Downtown Assessment from Flip This Town
· Nationwide Marketing Group $500 shopping spree
· PPG Paints $500 shopping spree
· Public relations and social media recognition
· A special plaque for the winner to proudly display

For more information on Benicia Main Street, visit: www.BeniciaMainStreet.org or contact 707-745-9791.