On the 3rd day of Christmas Shop Downtown at Color Me Pretty!

This Holiday season, shop at Color Me Pretty for the women in your life. Color Me Pretty, located at 109 E. Main St., offers high fashion hand bags, jewelry and clothing any woman or young girl would love.

Also find a great assortment of fragrances, makeup, and hair products from the hair salon that make great stocking stuffers.

If you’re not quite sure what to get, gift certificates are offered for store and hair salon.

For more information call:
(704) 732-0270

Business After Hours with DDA & LEDA Nov. 20

Race on over to the Lincolnton-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, Thursday, November 20th from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., co-sponsored by the Downtown Development Association of Lincolnton and the Lincoln Economic Development Association.

The event will be held at LEDA's new offices, located at 502 East Main Street, with special guests Crawford & Crawford Racing and hometown favorite Doug Herbert. Plenty of food, drinks, and motorsports-themed activities will be on hand....and we may even have a few surprises along the way.

To reserve your pit pass, call 704.732.1511 or email leda@lincolneda.org.

On the 2nd Day of Christmas Shop Downtown at Melamoose Scoops & Java!

Anyone on your holiday shopping list would be delighted to get a gift certificate from Melamoose Scoops & Java for a sweet treat!

Located at 119 E Main St, Melamoose Scoops & Java offers a little bit of everything for every taste including Pizza, Subs, Hotdogs, Ice Cream, and Espresso Bar!

You can never go wrong with a gift certificate for the holidays!

For more information call: (704) 735-0355

On the 1st day of Christmas Shop Downtown at Merle Norman!

Merle Norman located at 224 E Main St, offers a great variety of holiday gift sets which are sure to please your family and friends!

Skincare Stars - $25.00
Includes: Cleanser, Toner, Clay Mask and Preventage Moisturizer
Lip Stars - $25.00
Includes: 4 Merle Norman Lipsticks and Carrying Case
Brush Stars - $35.00
Includes: Foundation Brush, Blush Brush, 2 Eyeshadow Brushes, Eyeliner Brush, Carrying Case, and Brush Cleaner
Merry Kisses - $ 35.00
Includes: Carrying Case, 3 Lip Pencil Plusses, and Sharpener
Angel Eyes - $38.00
Includes: Eye Makeup Remover, Xtra Length Mascara, Perfecting Eye Base, Wrinkle Eye Smoother
Let It Glow - $ 40.00
Includes: Derma Peel System, Energizing Concentrate, Wrinkle Smoother

Come take a peak at all the great things Merle Norman can offer at its Holiday Open House Friday, November 14^th and Saturday, November 15th (refreshments provided). And don’t miss Merle Norman’s exclusive FREE gift offered through the month of November with any purchase.

Downtown for the Holidays

Tis’ the season for holiday shopping! Business and Community Development along with Downtown Businesses would like to help you get your holiday shopping done early with our own version of the 25 days of Christmas!

Starting November 14^th a new holiday gift idea from downtown businesses will be featured on the blog each day. So make your list, check it twice and bring it to Downtown Lincolnton.

The best way to avoid being a holiday Grinch is to avoid busy malls during the holidays!

If you are a business and have a great holiday gift idea please contact us!
704-736-8915 or candacehelms@ci.lincolnton.nc.us

Veteran's Day Parade and Ceremony

Please join and Salute the Veterans of Lincolnton Tuesday November, 11 as they gather to remember past and present wars.

The parade will begin at 11:00 a.m. around Flint St. and E. Main St. (across from the Police Department) and will end in front of the James W. Warren Citizen’s Center. No application is required to be a part of the parade. Entries are to line up on Water Street before the start of the parade.

A ceremony will be held immediately following the parade on the west side of the court square to honor veterans. The ceremony will feature a speaker from the new VA Clinic in Hickory and will include the presentation of the Veteran of the Year Award.

Veterans Appreciation Cruise-In Sunday

The semi-annual Downtown Lincolnton Veterans Appreciation Cruise-In will take place this Sunday, November 9th, from 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. The event is being hosted by Holy Cross Lutheran Church and the Downtown Development Association of Lincolnton.

All cars and trucks manufactured before 1974 are welcome to cruise in to the event, which will be held in the 100 through 400 blocks of East Main Street. Organizers request a $2.00 flag donation from attendees, and ask that no cruisers arrive before 12:30 p.m.

LEDA Art Invitational

On November 3, 2008 The Lincoln Economic Development Association (LEDA) announced its Third Rotation of the LEDA Art Invitational 08’.

The Leda Art Invitational is a collaborative effort between the Economic Development Organization and invited professional artists that have worked or lived in Lincoln County. The purpose of these exhibits is to showcase the cultural richness of Lincoln County to visitors who visit the LEDA facility.

Featured 2008 artists:

Karen Banker www.karenbanker.com
Ginny H. Boyd www.silvermosquito.com
Lynn Dermott
Tom Owen http://owenart.us
Dene Scott Smith
Zac Vinson
Kae Wright
Beth Yarbrough www.bethyarbrough.com

This exhibit will run through January 7, 2009 in the LEDA Board Room Gallery located at 502 East Main Street Downtown Lincolnton. View times are Mon-Fri 9 am-5 pm.

If you missed the Second Rotation it is not too late. The artists have donated their work from the Second Rotation to be displayed again at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church from November 2 to November 30. Show hours for the Second Rotation are Mon-Thurs 9 am-12:00 pm. For additional availability call 704-732-9179.

A reception will be open to the public on Friday, November 21 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church located at 315 North Cedar Street Lincolnton, NC.

November's Book of the Month!

Find our Book of the Month on the right side of the blog. Go to the Charles R. Jonas Library and order the book through inter-library loan http://catalog.glrl.lib.nc.us/polaris/Search/default.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.1
or for your own copy call North State Books 704-732-8562

November's Book of the Month is:
New Towns For Old: Achievements In Civic Improvement In Some American Small Towns And Neighborhoods by John Nolen

A Place to Grow Trick-or-Treats Downtown

Downtown Lincolnton was abuzz Friday morning as students from A Place to Grow strutted their Halloween costumes down Main Street and filled their treat bags with loads of goodies.


About 40 students from the school made the annual trip to downtown, where business owners displayed Jack-O-Lanterns in their windows to signal that they had treats for the youngsters. Many parents were there to share the experience with their little ones, who were dressed to impress in their Halloween gear.


It is especially heartwarming to see the downtown business owners spill out onto the streets to fill the kids' bags with candy and snacks as they march through downtown. After all - it's not everyday that you see a giraffe, a giant banana, and Elmo walking down Main Street!

Cook Out Receives Polished Apple Award

Pictured L to R: Tommy Gleiter, Cook Out of Lincolnton Manager; Mayor David Black; and Stacy Bryant, DDA Design Work Group Chair


Cook Out of Lincolnton has been chosen as the recipient of the City of Lincolnton Polished Apple Award.

The program, developed to recognize excellence in physical improvements to commercial property in Lincolnton, is awarded regularly by the City of Lincolnton to encourage positive design improvements within the city.

Cook Out of Lincolnton was chosen to receive the award by the Downtown Development Association of Lincolnton Design Work Group, in response to physical improvements made to its facilities located at 1437 East Main Street in Lincolnton.

Polished Apple Award criteria and nomination forms are available from the Lincolnton Business and Community Development office, 114 East Main Street.

Subscribe to The Inside Wire

Add The Inside Wire RSS feeds to your favorite homepage. Find the Subscribe section on the right, bottom side of the blog. From there, simply select your existing homepage or create a new homepage from the 5 options (Google, My Yahoo, etc.). You can subscribe to post feeds, comment feeds, or both! This will send you updated information any time the blog is updated!

*NOTE- If you do not already have a homepage, but still want The Inside Wire updated feeds, signing up for a homepage service is free!*

Downtown Directory

Please take notice of the new Downtown Directory section on the right side of the blog. Here you will find some of Downtown Lincolnton's retail, dining, and service providers’ web sites. More links will be coming soon!

If you are a downtown business and don’t see your link, please contact us at:

Business and Community Development
114 E. Main St.
704-736-8915
Or
candacehelms@ci.lincolnton.nc.us

Cycle NC Descends on Lincolnton

The streets of downtown Lincolnton were filled with the sounds of The Ocean Blvd. Band as a special Alive After Five concert was held on Monday night in coordination with Cycle North Carolina. More than a thousand bicyclists descended on Lincolnton for a respite on their annual ride "from the mountains to the coast."

The cyclists began to arrive in town late Monday morning, as was evident by the scores of bicycles parked outside local restaurants and cafes. Many of the cyclists camped at Betty Ross Park, while a few others rested their heads at local hotels.

The cyclists enjoyed shuttle service to the specially scheduled Alive After Five concert, where vendors and local businesses set up tents to welcome the visitors to Lincolnton. The tour left Lincolnton early Tuesday morning for its next stop in Concord. The cyclists are scheduled to reach Oak Island, the final stop of the tour, Saturday.

For more information about Cycle North Carolina, visit
http://www.ncsports.org/nccyclemain.php.

VIP FISH FRY POSTPONED

Due to the threat of bad weather Thursday the Downtown Development Association has postponed its VIP Fish Fry until a later date. DDA plans to have a stand alone recognition in the next few weeks to thank all our supporters. More information will be forthcoming.

Singing and Dancing in the rain = FUN

Frying Fish in hot oil in the rain = NOT FUN ;-)

Come Out and Shag with the The Ocean Blvd. Band

Come out for great entertainment from The Ocean Blvd. Band on Monday, September 29, 2008 at the Griffin Insurance Agency/ Nationwide Insurance Alive After Five concert series.

In coordination with Cycle North Carolina, Ocean Blvd. will be in town to deliver the soulful sounds that captured the hearts of east coast beach goers. Ocean Blvd. is a variety band that offers beach, funk, retro, disco, and motown music. Their exciting playlist includes “Let's Go Shaggin' Tonight”, “Up on the Roof”, “Ladies Night”, “Margaritaville”, “Myrtle Beach Days”, and “Twist/Twist Again”. For more information on The Ocean Blvd. Band, check them out online at http://www.oceanblvdband.com/.

Come out and enjoy great music and dancing! Several downtown restaurants will be open for the show as well. Watch downtown Lincolnton come alive as concert-goers gather at East Main Street and Court Square for the free show, which starts at 6:00 p.m. Lawn chairs are encouraged, but no coolers will be allowed. For information regarding the event or to reserve handicap parking for the show, please call Lincolnton Business & Community Development at (704) 736-8915.

Also, don't forget about Alive After Five with the Extraordinaires on Thursday, September 25.

Great Weather Brings Crowd for the Annual Apple Festival

This past weekend the streets of downtown were crowded with people enjoying the annual Lincolnton Apple Festival. This years Apple Festival was a huge success with fall-like weather, and lots of great food, crafts, and activities.

Attendees shopped various apparel, craft, and merchandise booths set up along Main Street and enjoyed lots of food vendors ranging from great Bar-B-Que to Mexican cuisine. The highlight of the festival was the great NC Apples! Apple pies and fritters were gone within a few hours of the event and there was a shortage of apples toward the end.

During the event kids enjoyed Limbo and Hula-Hoop contests at the Downtown Development Association booth. Hula-Hoop was the most popular contest. There were great hula-hoppers with hula-hooping times over 10 minutes! A special thanks to Melamoose and 36^th Street Bakery for donating prizes for the winning contestants. Another big demand at the DDA booth was free balloons!

Pictures of the Apple Festival can be viewed on the right side of the blog.

Melamoose Scoops & Java presents...

On Friday, September 19, 2008 "The Bob Carroll Band"

The show will start at 6:30pm until 8:00pm so, come bring a chair and enjoy a great night of Bluegrass and Gospel Music.

While you are relaxing to the tunes of "The Bob Carroll Band" enjoy Melamoose Scoops & Java's fantastic menu that includes: Pizza, Subs, Hotdogs, Ice Cream, and Espresso Bar!

Lincoln County Apple Festival

The 2008 Lincoln County Apple Festival will be held in downtown Lincolnton on Saturday, September 20 from 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m.

The annual festival features arts and crafts, local business booths, music entertainment, food vendors, special children’s area, and lots of APPLES.

Lincoln County’s first Apple Festival was held on September of 1972 at the Boger City Methodist Church. Approximately 300 folks attended.

The next two festivals were held in the National Guard Armory that included entertainment and exhibits. With attendance and related activities increasing, the need for larger facilities prompted a move to West Lincoln High School in 1975 where food and craft vendors participated. In 1978, the Lincoln County Apple Festival was moved to downtown Lincolnton with approximately 30 booths and an approximate crowd of 8,000.

The festival continues to grow each year with booth numbers increasing and with crowds seemingly getting larger. Attendance estimates range around 80,000. Currently the booth number total is approximately 175.

For more information visit:

http://lincoln.ces.ncsu.edu/content/lincolncountyapplefestival