Laramie Main Street Alliance (LMSA) is celebrating its 18th anniversary as an accredited Main Street program. Since 2005, LMSA has fostered significant revitalization in Laramie’s downtown, creating partnerships and offering popular events, including Brewfest, the Farmers Market, Small Business Saturday, the Holiday Parade, along with many new events like the Pop Up Art Walk, Train Lighting and the International Flavor Festival.
Today's vendor highlight is brought to you by your award winning Main Street.
Curry Time started as a booth vendor at the market and slowly gained the love and support of the community to open their food truck in 2020. This week's special is Chicken Biryani which is a layered chicken and rice dish that is slow cooked and served with yogurt and cucumber Raita.
Their goal is to not only bring popular Indian dishes to our community, but also to share the wide variety of Indian street foods and regional homestyle cooking. Vegetarian thalis is a platter meal that is a great way to taste regional dishes that change weekly.
Stop by at today's market and give Curry Time's flavors a try!
J & J Second Chance Small Holdings is a Wyoming non-profit goat sanctuary run by Army veteran Jennifer and her daughter Janna. Together they rescue, rehabilitate, and rehome goats and other animals.
Have you visited their booth at the Farmers Market? If not, be sure to stop by soon; the Laramie market runs through September 29th. Don’t hesitate to step into the enclosed area where Second Chance’s specially trained goats welcome young and old alike. You will see goats dressed in fairy wings and some without. And don’t be dismayed if you see them display their habit of plopping on the ground…don’t worry they are just fine. They get right back up! Some of Second Chance’s goats are the famous fainting goats.
The goats are so tame and well trained. They will sit in your lap and are very gentle. Within just a few minutes you will be amazed at how relaxed you can feel just hanging out with them; it’s like free therapy.
In fact Second Chance does provide goat therapy in group sessions and one-on-one too. They travel throughout Wyoming for events, community services, and advocacy/education. Check out their website www.jjsecondchancesmallholdings.com where you can learn about all they do in our community, see their events calendar, sign up to volunteer and more.
Today’s vendor highlight is brought to you by your award winning Main Street.
It's last call for Gem City Nights! Don't miss out...Friday, September 1, 2023.
Tonight's performance features De Grigons Y Gremmies and Banshee Tree from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. - at the North side of Depot Park.
This FREE concert is presented by the Laramie Plains Civic Center's Gryphon Theatre!
Stop by the drop-in art workshop too at the Laramie Plains Civic Center tent from 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.
This week's vendor highlight is brought to you by your award winning Main Street.
Public parking lots and on street parking spaces are precious commodities in bustling commercial districts. In August, Laramie Main Street Alliance (LMSA) asked for your help to rename the 5 FREE ALL-DAY parking lots downtown in order to highlight the availability of public parking in the district. LMSA had an overwhelmingly positive response to the survey with 242 community members responding.
The winning parking lot names are as follows:
Parking lot #1, at Garfield and 1st: TROUT, with 42% of the vote.
Parking lot #2 between Custer and Garfield on 1st, JACKALOPE, with 72% of the vote.
Parking lot #3 at Custer and 2nd, SAGE-GROUSE, with 72% of the vote.
Parking lot #4 at University and 1st, BISON, with 57% of the vote.
Parking lot #5 at University and 4th, MOOSE, with 65% of the vote.
Located throughout the district, the all day parking lots are perfect for downtown employees, visitors who are participating in community events, and people who want to spend more than 2 hours downtown.
Congratulations to Linda Valenti who won the drawing for a $25 downtown gift certificate for completing the survey. Linda is excited to use the lots when she comes down to shop local!
LMSA is planning further enhancements to the parking lots. With the help of the Laramie Public Art Coalition, LMSA will put out a call for artists to design new parking lot signage and beautify the lots. In addition, LMSA’s Parking Committee is developing incentives for downtown employees who utilize the lots during their shifts. If you are interested in volunteering for this initiative, contact Kim Jessen, LMSA Volunteer Coordinator at kim@laramiemainstreet.org or visit www.laramiemainstreet.org/volunteer to fill out a volunteer application.
This week’s vendor highlight recognizing ACRES Student Farm is brought to you by our award winning Main Street.
This Friday, August 25th be sure to stop by the ACRES Student Farm booth on the corner of Harney and 30th Street. Grab a free canvas tote bag with your $10 purchase too!
School has started back up…this Friday is the last day ACRES is scheduled to be at the Laramie Farmers Market for the time being. Be sure to follow their socials https://linktr.ee/ACRESstudentfarm for the most up to date information about any possible additional market days this Fall.
We want to give a loud shout out of thanks to the students who run our local Laramie ACRES Student Farm, to all the volunteers who help out, and the faculty advisors at the University of Wyoming who support and guide this treasured local initiative!
Twigs & Aloe is a local Wyoming business that specializes in hand-crafted candles, apparel, accessories, some skin care items, and more. You won’t find a long list of ingredients on their products; owner Tayla Davis makes each all-natural, small batch by hand. Designs for their apparel and accessories line are all original.
Stop by the Twigs & Aloe table at this Friday’s Farmers Market or visit www.twigsandaloe.com to buy online. This Friday the 16th you can also pre-order their Fall 2023 featured Pumpkin Patch candle or Spooky SZN sweatshirt. Small batch items do sell out at times so pre-ordering is a great idea!
This week’s Vendor Highlight recognizing Twigs & Aloe is brought to you by your award-winning Main Street!
Downtown parking lots and on street parking are precious commodities in small towns that rely on locally owned businesses as economy engines. In order to increase awareness of where the free, all day public parking lots are located downtown, Laramie Main Street Laramie is launching a Wyoming wildlife themed, “Name That Lot” campaign.
Located centrally, and on both the north and south ends of the district, all day lots are perfect for downtown employees, visitors coming for events, and people who want to spend more than 2 hours shopping or dining.
Public parking lots are conveniently located at First and University Avenue, Fourth and University Avenue, First and Garfield, Second and Custer, Fifth and Grand (City Hall) and north of the historic train depot (where the Farmers Market is hosted). Together, these lots provide 284 parking spots.
With this in mind, help us “Name That Lot” to increase awareness of the locations and availability of parking downtown.
The survey opens August 4 and closes at midnight on August 18. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/namethelots
As a thank you, participants will be entered into a drawing for a $25 downtown gift certificate.
Winning names will be posted on signage at each lot.
Learn more at: https://laramiemainstreet.org/parking
Ana Castro is a dynamic and community-driven professional who recently assumed the role of Program Coordinator for Laramie Main Street. With a passion for revitalizing community spaces and fostering local economic growth, Ana brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her new position.
Ana's journey began in Mexico City, where she was born. However, at a young age, her family moved to Jackson, Wyoming, and this picturesque town became the backdrop for her formative years. Over the course of 24 years, Ana has called Wyoming her home, and her love for the state and its community runs deep.
Known for her excellent communication skills and ability to bring people together, Ana will undoubtedly play a key role in driving Laramie Main Street's mission forward. Her vision for the program involves a strong focus on community engagement, event planning, and implementing creative strategies to attract visitors and promote local entrepreneurship.
As the new Program Coordinator, Ana's goal is to make Laramie's downtown area a vibrant and thriving hub for residents and visitors alike. By fostering a sense of pride in the community and leveraging her expertise in community organizing, she aims to create an even more welcoming and dynamic downtown space that continues to evolve and flourish.
A series of colorful summer flower pots have made their way to downtown Laramie again with the support of Laramie Main Street, the Laramie Garden Club and downtown businesses. Flowers of many varieties brighten up the storefronts of businesses downtown thanks to the Adopt-a-Pot program.
The Adopt-a-Pot program has been a long running favorite for downtown businesses and their patrons. It is a collaborative effort to keep downtown inviting, friendly and beautiful for residents and summer visitors. Laramie Main Street’s Design Team volunteers coordinate the ordering and payments for the flower pots, Windmill Hill Greenhouse plants and delivers them, and the Laramie Garden Club provided a 50% cost share with businesses who wanted to participate.
In addition to the cost share contribution,The Laramie Garden Club also planted three of the large permanent planters located downtown with the local businesses nearby watering them for the summer.
As you visit the historic district this summer, be sure to stop and smell the new and colorful flowers dotting the streets.
For more information about Laramie Main Street, and volunteering with our Design Team, visit: https://laramiemainstreet.org/volunteer
