Being inundated with coronavirus-related news for the past several weeks, we’ve almost forgotten that it’s springtime—a time of rebirth and renewal. So, I want to veer away from the bad news for now and give you a helping of optimism and good news about what’s in store on The Ave.
Main Street Vineland is forging ahead with plans to get The Ave ready aesthetically for the spring and summer months. That way, The Ave can look the best it can be—for now and when our schedule of events resumes.
Our maintenance men are hard at work each day doing routine clean-up work on The Ave—weed-whacking, picking up trash, and doing all the things that keep the street neat and tidy. Some may take this for granted and not give it a second thought, but it’s dedication and responsibility. Be it rain or shine, the job needs to be done and our maintenance men are out there doing it.
One sign of spring is flowers and, looking ahead, we’ll be moving forward with planting flowers at various spots on The Ave. The mini-parks are focal points for our downtown and we’ll be cleaning up and planting flowers there, as in past years. We’re in the process now of working on the number and kinds of flowers to be planted and you’ll see the results before long. We also have hanging baskets up and down The Ave and those also will be filled with flowers.
The downtown area—both on and off The Ave—has lost quite a few trees over the last several years and we’re hard at work trying to remedy that situation. It’s a complex task—locating the spots for trees, prioritizing those locations, figuring out what trees work best in what areas, making sure that roots from past trees have been removed, making sure that utility lines aren’t affected, and other considerations. A lot of it is behind-the-scenes work before the planting begins. In the short run, we will be planning to plant some trees this month for Arbor Day.
The latest “The Ave” brochure is hot off the presses and will appear stuffed in with the next set of utility bills. You’ll also be able to find it at various spots around town. It gives a rundown of the events in store, once we’re back on track to resume full throttle.
So we’re still open for business and, amidst the gloom and doom, working to celebrate the springtime.
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Don’t forget to take the online pledge through Main Street Vineland and the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce to support your local businesses—both on The Ave and throughout the community. We’re urging you to pledge that you’ll give local businesses your patronage and support. This sends the powerful message that the economic health of local businesses is OUR economic health. Taking the online pledge is easy. Just visit Main Street Vineland’s website at TheAve.biz or the Facebook page (facebook.com/mainstreetvineland).
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Remember to support our local restaurants on The Ave by participating in the “Dine The Ave” Restaurant Gift Card Giveaway. We at Main Street Vineland have organized the monthlong giveaway in cooperation with New Jersey’s Heartland, and with generous sponsorship by Century Savings Bank. Forty lucky individuals will have the opportunity to each win a $25 gift card to the participating restaurants on The Ave. That’s $1,000 in gift cards! This is a great opportunity to select from the variety of delicious cuisines the restaurants on The Ave boast and, at the same time, promote and help these restaurants. The participating restaurants were listed last week. Or visit our website or Facebook page for the list and how to participate. We regularly post updates there as well.
