MidTown Inc. to celebrate raising $1.1M on Sunday
Free event will be on Wynnton Arts Academy lawn
It will be a Sunday for giving thanks, but Teresa Tomlinson swears "there will be no preaching."
But there will be free food and music for anyone who stops by Wynnton Arts Academy from 4-6:30 p.m.
On the front lawn of1843 Wynnton School -- which the National Historic Registry lists as the oldest school in continuous use in Georgia -- there will be balloons, popcorn, peanuts, ice cream, lemonade and iced tea.
That's all to be enjoyed while listening to live blues music provided by the Georgia Legacy All-Star Revue.
"It's going to be terrific," Tomlinson said.
The reason for the celebration is that MidTown Inc., of which Tomlinson is the executive director, has raised $1.1 million on its way to a $1.2 million goal. Tomlinson said that should be enough to fund its operations and projects for the next three years.
"It has been a tremendously rewarding campaign to continue and sustain our community renewal efforts," she said.
In a press release, Frank Etheridge, president and chairman of MidTown Inc., said, "What MidTown has done in a relatively short period of time is remarkable."
MidTown has provided $200,000 in matching funds for the Georgia Department of Transportation streetscape project for a six-block stretch of Wynnton Road between Peacock and Hilton avenues.
The nonprofit organization also has partnered with the city and several property owners to commission a flood study for the Lindsey Creek Basin around the intersection of I-185 and Macon Road. That study, Tomlinson said, should open up acres of land for development.
"We're doing our best to encourage people to invest in the area," she said. "There is a lot of land that is underutlilized."
MidTown defines its area as the six square miles bounded by I-185 to the east, the railroad tracks south of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to the south, 10th Avenue to the west and Talbotton and Edgewood Roads to the north.
MidTown Inc. began in 2002 for business owners and residents to make ensure smart growth and make the area more attractive and safe.
"We've had a wonderful response when it comes to forming neighborhood associations," Tomlinson said. "It's good to have the people working together to make their place a better place to live."