Promotion Committee

The job of the Promotion Committee is to PROMOTE downtown as the center of commerce, culture, and community life for residents and visitors alike. more

What's New?

Several current Promotion Committee projects are described below. For more information on future goals, view the 2007-2008 Promotion Committee Work Plan (PDF, 70KB). You can also view a calendar of downtown events by visiting the Downtown Events page of this website.

The 2nd Annual Parade of Lights attracts thousands to Downtown Waterville!
Coordinated by Waterville Main Street, the 2nd Annual Parade of Lights was held on Friday, November 23 in Downtown Waterville. Beginning at the north end of Main Street, the parade ended at Castonguay Square with the lighting of the giant spruce and Santa's arrival at Kringleville, where hundreds of children will visit him throughout the holiday season. Thousands of people lined Main Street for this fabulous family event - a great start to the holiday season!
Special thanks to our sponsor:

Past Events

5th Annual Harvest Fest a Fabulous Family Event!
Held on Sunday, October 21 in Castonguay Square, the 5th Annual Harvest Fest attracted hundreds of people to Downtown Waterville for a day of family fun. The event featured pumpkin carving, hay rides, scarecrow building, candy-apple making, and the very popular pumpkin bowling (pictured right in a Morning Sentinel photo, click here to view the article). New this year, Harvest Fest served up a Chili Cook-Off featuring veggie and meat chilis from Mainely Brews, Soup to Nuts, The Last Unicorn, and The Speak Easy. Hundreds of people sampled the chili and voted for their favorite, and Mainely Brews was named the winner. Finally, at around 5:30pm, returned to the Square to hear the legendary voice of world-famous storyteller Odds Bodkin.
Special thanks to Harvest Fest 2007 Sponsors: City of Waterville, Gardiner Savings Institution, A.G. Edwards, Day's Travel Bureau, Kennebec Savings Bank, Kennebec Eye Care, and Uncle Dean's Good Groceries.

2007 Passion for Fashion Gala
another Huge Success!
Wednesday, October 17, 6-9pm at
Steve's Restaurant, 14 Silver Street
This 2nd annual “ladies' night out” event featured a cash bar, buffet dinner, fashion show featuring clothing from Earth Bound and The Clothing Gallery, bachelor auction, and a free gift for every attendee.  This sell out event generated thousands of dollars for the Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers, and a great time was had by all!
Special thanks to our Event Sponsor: Gardiner Savings Institution, and to our Corporate Table Sponsors: Bangor Savings Bank, Genesis at Oak Grove Center, Inland Hospital, SAPPI Fine Paper, James D. Julia, Perry, Fitts, Boulette and Fitton, Earth Bound and The Clothing Gallery

The Hill 'n the 'Ville brings college students & community together in Downtown Waterville!
Hundreds of people came out for the first annual Hill 'n the 'Ville festival at Head of Falls on Saturday, September 15. Presented by Waterville Main Street and the students of Colby College, this first annual event was geared towards college students, families and the Greater Waterville community at large and featured an exciting schedule of events suitable for audiences of all ages. Children, college students and adults alike were entertained by a diverse array of live music, including John Brown's Body, The Brew, Nate Wilson Group and Dumb Beautiful Ministers, world-famous juggling by Fusion, games for kids, a dunk tank, food vendors, and much more. View the full line-up of events...

38th Annual Waterville Intown Arts Fest Awards Thousands of Dollars in Prize Money!
Held on July 28, 2007, the 38th Annual Waterville Intown Arts Fest was a huge success. Over 80 artists lined Main Street in beautiful Downtown Waterville and thousands of dollars of prizes were awarded to artists from all across the state and beyond. Click here to view a list of this year's prize winners. Special thanks to the event sponsors: Inland Hospital, A.G. Edwards, KFS, and the Morning Sentinel.

Dozens of contestants Fired It Up! at the 2nd Annual Main Street Madness
The 2nd Annual Main Street Madness 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament was a huge success! Sponsored by Inland Hospital, Main Street Madness was held on June 16 in The Concourse, with over 2 dozen teams doing basketball battle. Check out the winning teams!

Over 400 people came out to witness the 1st Annual Seize the Mic Contest at the Waterville Opera House on Saturday, April 7. 23 contestants took the stage and the three top performers walked away with a total of $600 in cash prizes. Special thanks to the event sponsor: Valley Distributors. more...

Promotion Committee Goals
The job of the Promotion Committee is to PROMOTE downtown as the center of commerce, culture, and community life for residents and visitors alike.The main tasks of the Promotion Committee include:
* Understanding the changing market - both potential shoppers and "competition";
* Identifying downtown assets - including people, buildings, heritage, and institutions;
* Defining Main Street's market niche - its unique "position" in the marketplace; and finally
* Creating new image campaigns, retail promotions, special events to bring people into our downtown.

PROMOTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS:

Gary Poulin, Co-Chair
Sarah Sugden, Co-Chair

Bridget Campbell
Jim Delorie
Lori Gervais
Pat Gorman
Josh Hunt
Julie Jacques
Glenn Leavitt
Lisa Oakes
Jean Sturtevant
Erik Thomas
Raffi Der Simonian, Staff
Shannon Haines, Staff