Main Streets Robbie Grady to retire By Susan Clark ssclarknews@gmail GOFFSTOWN – Robbie Grady, director of the Goffstown Main Street program, will retire on June 27, leaving a legacy of helping to bring the community together through seasonal and art events, promoting economic development and preserving the town’s history and natural resources. It was a hard decision to make, but she and her husband of 25 years, Kevin, felt it was a good time to retire. “When you’re working with many wonderful people and doing a job you enjoy, it’s hard to let go,” Grady said. Grady came on board as Goffstown Main Street’s first director in 1999, when she and Kevin relocated from Germany after his stint in the Air Force. “We moved to New Hampshire to be closer to my parents who had moved here. I was looking for a job and answered an ad,” Grady said, adding Kevin is “one of my best volunteers.” She served Goffstown Main Street until February 2004, then worked for the New Hampshire Main Street Center and the Laconia Main Street program. She returned to the Goffstown agency in September 2007. Grady said it wasn’t difficult to get the program off the ground in 1999 because of the strong sense of volunteerism and a desire to bring economic growth to the town. “There were people like Jim Beauchemin and Bruce Normand who really took on the original events and eventually others who came on board to assist and take on leadership roles,” said Grady. Grady acknowledges the many board members, volunteers and business owners who helped bring the community together through social events and art promotions to attract visitors to town, such as original board members Brenda Latourneau, Larry Brown, Gale Cheever, Dr. Philip Mansour and Phil Tatro; leaders and original design team members Tom and Martha Hart, Beverly Powden, Cynthia Boisvert, Barbara Mace; historians, the late Elizabeth Merrill and Eleanor Porritt; John Denoncourt of Sully’s, Jennifer Brown of Brown Graphix and Karen Henderson of Ace Hardware, “Right from the get-go we developed a design program that has been privately funded with matching incentive grants for downtown businesses and property owners,” Grady said. Improvements include a new sign in front of the Village Trestle, and helping to improve the front of Brown Graphix. “It’s the location of our old gas station. The property owner had removed the pumps and the underground tanks, and now Jennifer is putting in some landscaping and we will reimburse her for part of her costs,” said Grady. “We also planted 3,000 daffodils to tie into the John Stark Scenic Byway. The four byway towns, Goffstown, Dunbarton, New Boston and Weare, have planted over 100,000 daffodils, and as they continue to grow and prosper will bring visitors in the spring.” Goffstown Main Street members have also taken part in town discussions about improvement plans for a safe and attractive downtown, and have offered training and advice to business owners. They also collaborated with the high school’s performing arts department in turning downtown into the Emerald City during the production of the “Wizard of Oz” in 2013. But the social event of the year, she said, is the annual Giant Pumpkin Weigh-Off and Regatta. “Being that we made it into Martha Stewart Living magazine, and that the event was listed as worth the drive, with a feature article about the pumpkin growers and the event itself, it’s a big deal,” she said. In addition to the trolley tours on Old Home Day to promote the town’s history and the Uncommon Art on the Common event that takes place this year on Aug. 2, the organization also supports local artists. The Art on the Walls program provides a venue for artists to show their work at businesses. “The first time we did it, there was an empty storefront that had been vacant for a while. We put in a pop-up gallery and the storefront was rented and became office space,” said Grady. “The second time, there was an art gallery and the businessman was having health issues. We put in a gallery there and kept the momentum going. He kept his doors open and it helped him pay his bills because the artists paid a fee to display their work.” Looking forward to retiring, Grady said the couple’s first act will be thoroughly cleaning their house.
Posted on: Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:24:01 +0000
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