La Grande will never be Las Vegas. And it doesn’t want to be a 24/7 bright lights gambling mecca, with all the fun and corruption that implies. But over the course of the past few years, the small city in Northeast Oregon has become a livelier place to live.
That’s cause for celebration as 2015 begins to unfold.
The New Year’s Eve Block Party, conducted in bone-chilling cold, with its ball drop and other festivities, is the latest in a series of events that is making the sleepy Northeast Oregon town come aliveCoupled with the Eastern Oregon Beer Festival, the Eastern Oregon Film Festival, the Celtic Festival and Highland Games, the Living Nativity and Crazy Days, along with old favorites like the Fourth of July fireworks show and the Union County Fair, La Grande is no longer a place where the only thing exciting to do is watch haircuts at the local barber shop.
Add to that all the events offered at Eastern Oregon University in theater, arts and music as well as the happenings at the Art Center at the Old Library, and La Grande has many more options for entertainment and enlightenment.
Credit should go to La Grande Main Street Downtown for it’s part in the revival. The organization tasked with bringing economic stimulus to the community has done much to facilitate the first New Year’s Eve Block Party and the beer festival. The two events show promise to bring people to town from a wide area. As these events grow over the years, more people will come to town, stay overnight, eat in the restaurants, stay in the motels, do some shopping and generally stimulate an economy just now waking up from the dimming effects of the Great Recession.
According to its website, La Grande Main Street Downtown’s mission is “to create an inviting, sustainable downtown rooted in La Grande’s history and culture, providing a vital center for commercial and community activities.”
The local organization is part of the National Main Street Program, which is a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. According to the website, “LGMSD works closely with its members, downtown businesses and local organizations to strengthen existing business, to expand opportunities for new businesses and to plan events and activities that improve the quality of life in downtown La Grande.”
With the addition of the beer festival and the New Year’s Eve Block Party, LGMSD is playing a key role in bringing more life to this sleepy burg. The new ideas are welcome, and much credit is due to those who work behind the scenes to make these events a reality.
Originally Published in The Observer
1406 Fifth Street
La Grande, OR 97850
Phone 541-963-3161
La Grande, OR 97850
Phone 541-963-3161