(6/30) The Town of Thurmont Main Street Program has once again received the National Main Street Accreditation for 2019. This is the fourteenth year in a row Thurmont has been recognized for their efforts and has received this national distinction.

At the end of May, Thurmont was designated as an accredited Main Street America program for meeting rigorous performance standards set by the National Main Street Center. Each year, the National Main Street Center and its Coordinating Program partners announce the list of accredited Main Street America programs in recognition of their exemplary commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization through the Main Street Approach.

"We are proud to acknowledge this year’s 840 nationally accredited Main Street America programs that have worked tirelessly to strengthen their communities," Patrice Frey, president and CEO of the National Main Street Center, said in a press release. "Main Street America Accredited communities are part of a powerful movement of changemakers, and their dedication to improving quality of life in these places is inspiring."

The National Main Street Program is a subsidiary under the National Trust for Preservation with 45 states participating in the Main Street Program. The State of Maryland has 27 National Main Street Accredited Main Streets. The Main Street Maryland program strives to strengthen the economic potential of Maryland’s traditional main streets and neighborhoods. The program provides designated communities with support for economic planning, marketing, promotion, and education administered by the Department of Community Housing and Development.

Thurmont Main Street hosts several events and programs throughout the year including the Main Street Farmers’ Market, the Business Showcase, Christmas in Thurmont, the Thurmont Business Bucks program, and Art and Wine Strolls, along with operating the Thurmont Main Street Center. "Main Streets are the heart of any community and the catalyst for future growth within any town. Thurmont is proud and honored to be recognized as an elite member of the 840 Nationally Accredited Main Street America communities, and one of the twenty-seven in the state of Maryland. A special thanks to all of our dedicated volunteers who make this possible," stated Thurmont’s Economic Development Manager, Vickie Grinder.

The organization’s performance is annually evaluated by Thurmont Main Street, which works in partnership with the National Main Street Center to identify the local programs that meet ten performance standards. Evaluation criteria determines the communities that are building comprehensive and sustainable revitalization efforts and include standards such as fostering strong public-private partnerships, securing an operating budget, tracking programmatic progress and actively preserving historic buildings.

Main Street America has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today, it is a network of more than 1,000 Nationally Accredited and Affiliate neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Since 1980, communities participating in the program have leveraged more than $71.35 billion in new public and private investment, generated more than 584,000 net new jobs and 132,000 net new businesses, and rehabilitated more than 268,000 buildings.