One more reason to go downtown

During her freshman year at Sweet Briar College, Elizabeth Young made the 13-mile trip to downtown Lynchburg once or twice a semester.

“I’m not from around here and I don’t have a car, so I pretty much had no idea what was going downtown,” said the Chicago native.

This week, Young, now a junior, is working with Sweet Briar’s co-curricular life office to drum up support for GET!DOWNTOWN, a street festival aimed at welcoming new and returning college students to the city.

“I’m really excited about this project,” said Young, who in recent months has discovered places like Machu Picchu Peruvian Restaurant, the Community Market and The Academy of Fine Arts.

“I really think we should utilize Lynchburg.”

The festival on Main Street runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, followed by after-parties at the White Hart Café, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Holiday Inn’s Lounge.

Main Street, which can be a dead zone on a Friday night, will buzz with activity: belly dancers and stilt walkers will roam the street, musicians from each college will perform live music, and local restaurants and business will set up shop on the sidewalk to show students what they have to offer.

The event, which is free and open to the public, is organized by Lynch’s Landing, a nonprofit organization dedicated to downtown revitalization. Lynch’s Landing joined forces with the area’s six colleges, government leaders, business owners and downtown organizations to design an event that introduces students to the city.

“It really came about as a way to connect with the students,” said Chris McCune, events manager for Lynch’s Landing.

The seed for the event was planted last year during a college forum at The Academy of Fine Arts. Marjette Upshur, director of economic development for the city of Lynchburg, facilitated the open dialogue with college students.

The consensus, Upshur said, was that a majority of college students don’t have a good sense of what downtown has to offer. The gap between campus life and city life is wider than in cities like Charlottesville and Harrisonburg.

“We’ve talked for years about how Lynchburg is a college town that really isn’t,” Upshur said.

“We can have all the cool shops in the world, but if the students don’t know about them and the citizens don’t support them, then they can’t stay open,” she added.

For local business owners, the influx of students can boost sales. Some, like The White Hart — an independent coffee shop and bookstore — rely on a steady flow of students to keep their doors open.

“The customer base from the colleges is vital to our business,” said owner Ed Hopkins.

Leecy Fink, owner of Celebration, a bridal and formal wear shop on Main Street, is hosting a red carpet fashion show during the festival. College students and local graduates comprise a major part of her customer base, yet she still struggles to get the word out about her store.

“I’m amazed at how many students have never been to Main Street and have been here for two years,” she said.
For the colleges, a thriving downtown can be an asset in recruiting more students, said Hermina Hendricks, music instructor and director of multicultural services at Randolph College.
“We need to embrace the younger generation,” said Hendricks, a Lynchburg native who has been involved in planning GET!DOWNTOWN since the beginning.
“Hopefully, they will get to understand our city, appreciate our city. We’re talking about development and growth, and what better place to start than in downtown Lynchburg.”