About Madison Main Street
Madison Main Street is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization designated by Indiana Main Street and accredited by the National Main Street Center. Madison is one of more than 1,200 Main Street communities across the country with the common goal of preserving America’s historic downtown as economically vital centers of the community.
You may know the Madison Main Street Program for its fun community events that support our downtown, such as Music in the Park, Girls Weekend, Window Decorating Contests, Loft Tour, Madison Farmers Market, and the Holiday Open House. But did you know that behind the scenes, we're also working on high-impact projects that have a lasting effect on our community?
As we reflect on 2024, we’re proud to highlight the milestones and contributions that made this year so special. From winning the Great American Main Street Award to making significant investments in our local small businesses, it’s been a year of growth and success for Madison. Take a moment to look back with us – there’s so much to celebrate!
January and February, typically quiet months, were busy for MMSP! We supported and partnered with new businesses as they prepared to open. We connected with River Oak Chop House, Crawdaddy Music, and Swell Stay, which can now be seen featured on Episode 5 of Season 5 of Magnolia Network, just to name a few. We also welcomed new staff and focused on organizing our workplans and volunteers for 2024 projects.
Girls Weekend has been held in March for the past 6 years to increase foot traffic and the number of shoppers during an otherwise slow month. The event has grown steadily, and in 2024 there were over 200 total event tickets purchased and nearly 60 businesses participated. This event is always a favorite for the attendees and businesses! Get your tickets for 2025 now!
April brought us the MMSP’s Annual Gala with over 200 attendees. 2024 award recipients were: Innovation Award to Koko Heath, owner of Scarlet Begonia; Business Excellence Award to Sonia and Larry Folkner, owners of Fountain Alley BodyCare; Tribute Award (in memory of Judy George) to Larry Newhouse, past MMSP Board President; and the Legacy Award to Jennifer Bates, owners of Colonial Flowers.
May, one of the most vibrant months in Madison, brought us the summer schedule for the Madison Farmers Market. The bountiful summer season brought an average of 350+ shoppers each week and 35 rotating vendors during the summer peak. Did you know that the Madison Farmers Market is the oldest running market in the Hoosier state? MMSP also organized a Meet Your Main Street and Main Street Merchant Mixer in May! These events gathered new and old friends to talk all things Main Street. Before we wrapped up the month of May, we granted our first Downtown Signage Grant from our newly established program. This fund has now helped over 13 businesses in 2024 alone with their signage.
The month of May kept us busy in more ways than one! In May, Madison Main Street received the highest honor of recognition in the Main Street network and we named a 2024 Great American Main Street! This award recognizes communities for their excellence in comprehensive preservation-based commercial district revitalization. Check out more on our website: Great American Main Street
In June, the iconic Music in the Park series returned to the downtown entertainment scene. This free, four-part summer concert series occurs in June, July, August, and September with an average audience of 600 + people, many of whom dine and shop downtown before the concerts. But our work didn't stop there. We hosted a successful Tourism Marketing Workshop with guest speaker, Leah Chandler, Director of Marketing with Discover Puerto Rico. We continued with our monthly radio interviews with friends at WORX radio and Friendship State Bank during their Community Focus, and finally partnered with the Rainbow River Club to support the first annual Pride Celebration in Madison!
July brought us an abundance of tomatoes with the Madison Farmers Market, a fun and sweet summer sidewalk sale event, and the Lt. Governor Suzanne Crouch who presented the state proclamation officially naming July 11th Madison Main Street Day!
In August and September, we welcomed Hanover College students back to Madison. We continued with our Music in the Park summer concert series, and kicked off our Small Business Highlight series and our Volunteer Highlight series! This series takes a closer look at the amazing things our small businesses and volunteers quietly do each day. You can read these highlights each week when you subscribe to our Main Street Monday newsletter.
In October, the Design Committee’s Annual Fall Window Display Contest didn't disappoint! This fall decoration contest brought a festive look to downtown as the town transitioned from summer to the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Shoutout to Arvin Sango for sponsoring this event and always creating a stellar display in front of the MMSP office for all to enjoy!
We didn't stop with the Fall Window Decorating Contest! For the first time in nearly 30 years, the Indiana State Preservation Conference was held in Madison. This was an amazing honor for Madison and we are so proud of the many partners and sponsors who made this possible. This conference brought over 400 attendees, volunteers, and preservationists to Madison. They stayed, dinned, toured, shopped, and enjoyed! Several MMSP board members presented over topics and Mary Means, the Mother of Main Street, made the special trip to Madison herself!
In November, the Holiday Open House kicked off the holiday season. This event generated hundreds of transactions that supported the 200+ downtown businesses. Not only did we celebrate Holiday Open House, but Small Business Saturday as well. Thank you again to the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs for generating these collectible shopping totes for Hoosiers and helping us support local during the holiday season. In December, we continued with our work behind the scenes to launch our 2025 workshops, events, and programs.
We are excited to tackle another year in downtown Madison. 2025 will be full of grand openings, growth, consistency, and fun!
We can't wait to see you in downtown Madison!
Austin Sims
Madison Main Street Program
Executive Director
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