I was super excited yesterday when I saw my home town of Rochester, MI was nominated for the America's Main Street Contest. I grew up in a city called Rochester Hills which is located directly next to Rochester. The city was actually the first settlement of Oakland County back in the 1800's. The contest narrowed its search down to 8 cities across the U.S. and Rochester is the lone nominee to represent Michigan. As their website describes the contest:

Main Streets are really the heartbeat of America's cities and towns. They play an important part in the long-term success of communities and really help build a sense of place. When Main Streets are strong, so are the communities that surround them. The goal of the America's Main Streets contest is to help promote the importance and strong economic benefits of these Main Streets and the small businesses that help them thrive.

Downtown Rochester is home to the Big, Bright Light Show (the biggest Christmas light show in Michigan) every winter, whose photos you can see here. The winning Main Street gets $25,000 in cash and related prizes to help revitalize that Main Street. You can vote for Rochester right now!


 

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