Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/109301
Best Change to Fayetteville in 2012/Use of Local Tax Dollars Downtown Revitalization Downtown Fayetteville If you look at pictures of Downtown Fayetteville in the ���50s and early ���60s, you will see a bustling city center. Cars lined the streets with people milling down the sidewalks going into local department stores like The Capitol and Belk, eating in local diners like Hornes and kids rushing to check out the latest movie at the theater. Fast forward to the ���70s, and the streets were still crowded but with a different crowd ��� soldiers preparing to go to war in Vietnam who were out looking for a good time. The once idyllic city center became a mecca for bars, strip clubs, pawn shops and the less-than-desirable. In the ���80s, the city center had become a virtual ghost town with the movement of businesses to the mall area. That all changed in the mid-to-late ���90s when local leaders made a vow to bring the historic city center back to life. Of course, there were naysayers who said it couldn���t be done. But they were wrong. Fayetteville City Hall and the Fayetteville Police Department became the anchor of downtown revitalization and it just keeps getting better. Forward thinking citizens invested their money and their time in downtown, betting that it would and could come back to life. Today, downtown is a center for the arts anchored by the Arts Council and Cape Fear Studios. It is a dining destination with anchor restaurants like Huske Hardware and Hornes, which were established in the early days of revitalization. There is an eclectic shopping district with everything from clothes to antiques to art and wine. It���s a destination with a number of museums like the Airborne and Special Operations Museum, the N.C. Veterans Park, Fascinate-U and the city- sponsored Transportation Museum. It is an event center, playing host to 4th Friday, the Dogwood Festival and the International Folk Festival. It has even become an entertainment venue with the independent movie theater The Cameo, a yoga studio, a martial-arts studio and a number of restaurants that become nightlife destinations. Don���t believe it? Check out the lines at Huske and Wet Willies on a Friday or Saturday night. While much of the revitalization has been centered on Hay Street, in recent years it has begun to spread out, most notably past the Market House to Person Street. Take a picture of downtown. You will again see cars lining the streets and the sidewalks ���lled with people going about their business. That picture is worth a thousand words or in this case, votes. Best Local Landmark The Market House A long-standing community landmark, the Market House has stood the test of time, and has seen the city grow and change in ways that we can only imagine. It���s seen more than 175 years come and go since it was erected to replace the state house that stood before it and burned to the ground in 1832. During its tenure, it has served as a center of commerce, with farmers selling their meat and produce under its arches. It has also been the seat of government, with the second floor housing the town hall. It served as the library for a time and an art museum as well. If its walls could talk, the Market House would tell the story of the community far better than any historian or writer. The Market House has seen the best and worst the city has to offer, from a celebration of its arts to the dark days of slavery, but it remains an icon that represents the spirit of our community. Thank you for voting Fayetteville Urban Ministry���s Fayetteville Duck Derby Best Fundraising Event. Special thanks to Rick Hendrick Toyota and all of the supporting businesses, participating restaurants and non-profit partners. Fayetteville Urban Ministry needs your support as we continue to ���show God���s compassion for our neighbors in need, and thus build a community together���. Thank you for the continued support of the Fayetteville Duck Derby and Fayetteville Urban Ministry. Mark your calendars May 4, 2013 for Fayetteville Duck Derby 2013. Quacky Quack! 910.483.5944 www.fayurbmin.org 4 BEST OF FAYETTEVILLE SEPTEMBER 12-18, 2012 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM