posted on November 04, 2009 17:36
Editor's Note: We are very fortunate to have the 2009 Michigan Main Street Manager of the Year, Marshall's Diane Larkin, as our guest blogger this week. When given the opportunity to say anything to the Main Street universe, Diane's post (we named the post) can most aptly be described as a genuine love letter to her community. Enjoy!
By Diane Larkin
Main Street Manager
Marshall Main Street
Marshall, MI
As I pondered what words of wisdom I would share to inspire or impress you….or since this might well be the only time I am ever invited to blog for Michigan Main Street….what is most important to say…..I read back through past blogs for ideas and inspiration. Travis, my counterpart in Manistee, be encouraged. I have now been in Marshall for over three years and am still considered “new” to the community. I figure you have at least another two years to use that “new to the area” excuse!
So, with a deadline looming, I decided to share my experience of finding a new home – in a most unexpected place – when I began an adventure as a Main Street Manager in October, 2006.
Marshall, Michigan, is located at the crossroads of I-94 and I-69 in south-central Michigan and serves as the county seat for Calhoun County. Marshall is a charming little city with a population of 7,200 – give or take – and a wonderfully intact array of nineteenth century architecture. Once slated to be the capitol of Michigan, we have Capitol Hill School and a Governor’s Mansion where no governor ever lived. We are home to the oldest continuously-operating fairgrounds in Michigan, the second largest National Landmark District in the country (small urban category), and more historical markers (per capita) than anyone else. One of my favorite local celebrities – Hans Schuler – fondly calls Marshall “the crossroads of the Big 10.” He appears to be correct, as on any given Saturday during football season you will find Big Ten fans trekking past Marshall as they traverse I-94 or I-69, heading to stadiums in Ann Arbor or East Lansing, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania or Minnesota.
However interesting, these facts and figures are not what drew me to Marshall three years ago. In fact, when I ventured to this far-from-home region of Michigan for a job interview, I had to actually dig out a map to locate where Marshall was…exactly. My previous fifty years of travel had taken me speeding across I-94 on my way to Chicago…or flying past Exit 36 on I-69 as I headed to Fort Wayne or Indianapolis…but never wandering off the expressways and into town. A job posting for this interesting-sounding position of “Main Street Manager” caught my attention – and I was ready for a change – so I dug out my map and plotted a course to check out this little burg.
As I drove into Marshall for the first time I was awestruck by the stately mansions with impeccable landscaping that line North Kalamazoo Avenue. Entering downtown I was captivated by the beauty of the fountain circle – and having navigated roundabouts while driving in Europe, I was able to take in the beauty of the fountain, flanked by graceful trees and welcoming park benches. Driving down Michigan Avenue I was impressed by the architecture and interesting array of stores and restaurants. A downtown with a hardware store? And a gas station?! And a bakery?!?! And wait – a Rexall Drug Store!?!! This must surely be the inspiration for Norman Rockwell’s depictions of life in America, and I felt transported back to the days of my youth.
As I continued to explore downtown Marshall, I couldn’t help but notice an occasional faded facade, a few errant weeds in the sidewalk, and some peeling paint. This town wasn’t all just pretty planters and brick sidewalks. It had a slightly gritty edge that made me feel it was real and well-used and loved…much like the Velveteen Rabbit, who found that sometimes becoming real means losing some of your fur and newness. I felt this might just be a place where I could start the next adventure in my life and find a true sense of community with real people.
Three years into my new life in Marshall I still marvel at the simple beauty of colored maple leaves against the glistening white of the newly restored Brooks Fountain, set against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky. I am impressed with the passion of our people….people who are like family and might disagree on politics (and disagree passionately!) but band together to meet community needs – be it fundraising for new textbooks, collecting food for the hungry, or raising $250,000 needed to restore the iconic Brooks Fountain (raised by our GIFT Committee – an amazing group of passionate volunteers who accomplished this feat in less than nine months in a “tough economy”).
I have often said I prefer passion to apathy any day, and in Marshall I have found it! People with a passion for historic preservation, civic pride, selfless serving, creativity and a wonderful spirit of hospitality. In just three short years I find myself “more at home” in this little community, than where I had lived for the previous thirty years.
Imagine a town that turns out to celebrate the Fourth of July – complete with decorated bicycles and a pet parade, a community band playing Sousa marches, blankets spread on the park grass with families gathering and children laughing, and barbequing chicken to feed a thousand. Imagine a Blues Festival on a Saturday in July where 7,000 folks bring lawn chairs and sit on Main Street to enjoy barbeque and blues…and “celebrate community.” Or a Christmas parade – with Brownie troops decorated like wrapped-up presents, Cub Scouts like elves, high schools bands, decorated floats and Santa Claus coming to town!
Ah…Christmas season. No other place I know celebrates Christmas quite like Marshall. With fresh evergreens strung across Michigan Avenue, thousands of twinkling holiday lights, big red bows and holly, carolers greeting shoppers, hot cocoa and mulled cider served with cookies, wonderful retails stores with unique gifts for everyone and anyone on your list, and the dancing eyes of children waiting to talk to Santa.
The Christmas holiday season just might be the best time to visit Marshall. From the Christmas Parade on November 30 to Christmas Candle Walk to Tea at the Governor’s Mansion to holiday music at the Franke Center to Retail Open House, to visiting Santa at The Toy Barn and all the wonderful, magical holiday moments in between, I invite you to venture off I-69 or I-94 and discover the magic of what real holiday shopping can be like in an authentic downtown like Marshall Main Street. And while you’re here, you might want to help Schuler’s celebrate their 100th year as a family-owned restaurant…or try a “world famous Louie’s nut roll”…..or stay at the historic National House Inn…or try a national award-winning Dark Horse Brew….or visit one of our eleven museums…or….just come explore and discover the real experience waiting for you in my new home town – Marshall.
Note: For a complete calendar of events, go to www.marshallmi.org