State OK's Mount Vernon Cultural and Entertainment District
The Mount Vernon Area Arts Council was successful in getting state approval to designate the First Street corridor through Mount Vernon as an official Cultural & Entertainment District. The district runs from the First Street Community Center on the east to the west edge of the Cornell College campus. It extends for one block on either side of First Street, to Second Street north and south, and encompass the entire Cornell campus. The district includes two National Historical Sites: The Downtown Commercial District and the Cornell College campus, and it traces the route of the historic Lincoln Highway.
Partnering with us on this initiative were the City of Mount Vernon, the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Development Group, Cornell College, the Mount Vernon Community School District, and numerous business owners within the proposed district.
What is this all about? It is primarily useful for tourism and economic development reasons:
Helps us plug into the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs network to promote tourism and local community cultural development. The IDCA also includes the Iowa Tourism Board, which produces volumes of information for people looking for arts, culture and entertainment in the state;
Allows us to use special signage delineating our Cultural and Entertainment District;
Give us access to the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs staff who will provide technical assistance to Cultural & Entertainment Districts, including grant opportunities, workshops and best practices from other Cultural & Entertainment Districts
The district de facto already exists, and it serves as the crossroads of our community where people of all types come together to participate in arts, culture and entertainment. It is also where many of our town events are held, the festivals and celebrations that attract visitors to this wonderful place. It is the beating heart of Mount Vernon.
There are now eight such designated districts in the state.
Cedar Falls Downtown District
Cody Road Cultural & Entertainment District
Downtown Dubuque Cultural Corridor
Downtown Davenport Cultural & Entertainment District
Downtown Mason City Cultural & Entertainment District
Fairfield Cultural & Entertainment District
Historic Valley Junction Cultural & Entertainment District
Mount Vernon Cultural & Entertainment District
We have an amazing story to tell for a city of 4,500 people. Included in our district are 11 performance spaces, 22 arts and arts-related businesses, 17 food/drink/lodging establishments, and more than 20 specialty shops. The district includes the Mount Vernon Visitors Center (located almost exactly at the mid-point), Memorial Park, and a model of the solar system conceived and executed by local artist Dennis Patton.
The application was submitted through the Iowa Arts Council, part of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.