Uptown Martinsville about to get a little brighter

Uptown revitalization is a top priority for the tourism office

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – A $10,000 grant from The Harvest Foundation will add more light to several of Martinsville’s streets and grow tourism at the same time.

"So it makes areas safer. I think it makes people actually want to be uptown. It makes it a welcoming environment. So it’s somewhere people want to go and stay and spend their time,” said Latala Hodges, the director of communications for The Harvest Foundation.

The Harvest Foundation will partner with the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development and the city of Martinsville for the Uptown Decorative Lighting Project.

You’ll eventually see lights hanging in several trees located in front of existing uptown businesses and places.

“You want to see people there shopping, you want to see unique dining options, unique attractions and really make it a destination uptown. And we believe that this lighting project is one of the further steps of us getting there. We’re really excited to see what it’s going to bring. There are so many opportunities in Uptown Martinsville and I think that this lighting project is just one of the few we’re going to see coming up,” said Hodges.

The lights are expected to be up before Christmas on at least 19 trees.

The grant is part of The Harvest Foundation’s Pick Up the Pace! program.

It’s a competitive, small-grants program designed to engage people and organizations in sparking innovative ideas, collaborations and change in Martinsville and Henry County. These six-month grants for up to $10,000 are available for application year-round. To find out more, visit www.theharvestfoundation.org or call 276-632-3329.


About the Author:

Irisha joined the WSLS news team in January 2017 after spending four years as a reporter in Georgia.