About Harrisonburg's Downtown

Another fantastic annual event hosted by Downtown Harrisonburg is coming up on October 21st — Block Party in the ‘Burg! This party is focused on introducing college students to Downtown Harrisonburg, and will be located at Turner Pavilion and the adjacent grassy lot. Time? 5:00 - 9:00 PM.

Students will have the opportunity to find out what Downtown Harrisonburg is all about and what the community has to offer, including restaurants (along with food samples!), entertainment options, and cultural offerings. Also during the event, local college bands will be showcased in “Battle of the Bands,” and attendees can vote for their favorites online.

Like scavenger hunts? Block Party in the ‘Burg is offering students the ability to participate in a scavenger hunt around Downtown using Foursquare. Bonus: there will be prizes!

Block Party in the ‘Burg
Turner Pavilion in Downtown Harrisonburg (where the Farmer’s Market is normally held) [map]
October 21, 2011
5:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Harrisonburg residents have long been known to hold the view that taking care of our environment is very important. As such, many have started using rain barrels, compost bins, solar energy, electric cars, etc. Well, the leaders of Harrisonburg have taken notice, and in October, Harrisonburg Electric Commission (HEC) will be providing a charging station to those with electric cars!

The new charging station will be located behind HEC in Downtown Harrisonburg, and yet again, Harrisonburg will be “on the map” because according to the press release from Downtown, it “will become the first city in the Shenandoah Valley and one of only a handful of cities in the state with a public, Level II electric car charging station.”

An unveiling ceremony will take place on October 5 at 10:00 AM in the HEC parking lot. There will be electric cars to test drive (including the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt), as well as demonstrations of how the new charging station will operate.

This whole operation came together through a community effort, including a variety of Downtown businesses and organizations: HEC, City of Harrisonburg, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance, David Miller on behalf of the Downtown Dining Alliance, Virginia Main Street, Eaton Corporation, Virginia Clean Cities, and Rexel.

*image credit: Scooter the Photographer

Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and the City of Harrisonburg have granted several businesses with facade enhancement grants this year. This grant program supports property improvements and has been able to stay in place, despite the state of the economy. In 2011, eight grants were awarded for a total of $20,000 in improvement funds.

These businesses will use the money to enhance the exterior of their businesses, which adds to the overall aesthetic of downtown Harrisonburg.

• Blue Nile Ethiopian Cuisine
• Court Square Coffee
• Duo
• MOD Displays
• Newman Ruddle, LLC
• Resource Network
• Virginia Quilt Museum
• Whitesel Music

Want to learn more? Visit Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance or the City of Harrisonburg.

Image Credit: allisonmseward12 on Flickr