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There are SO many things happening Downtown Vernon!
June was a very busy month downtown and July is promising to be just as busy with the start of Civic Sounds, Jammin' in Justice, and Drifters Car Show.
June Recap
 Curbside Chat - June's Curbside Chat took place at the Bean Scene Coffee House on June 17th. We had 16 members in attendance representing the retail, dining, entertainment, health/wellness, and beauty sectors. Topics of discussion included safety, security, beautification, parks/urban planning, and renewal. These collaborative sessions are open for all members to attend and they are a great opportunity to provide feedback and valuable input
THE NEXT CURBSIDE CHAT WILL TAKE PLACE ON SEPTEMBER 16, 2016
 Downtown IQ Member Social - On June 29th 40 members attended downtown's first Member Social at Marten Brewpub. The objective of the social was to network and to increase members knowledge about the many services and stores downtown that one may not know about. Kendra Kryszak (City of Vernon Parks Planner) provided information about what's in store for parks and urban spaces along with Brangwen Mooney (Telus Senior Regional Market Manager) who brought us up to date about the fibre optic line installation taking place. The social was highly successful and we look forward to hosting another one very soon ~ details coming soon! Thank you to Marten Brewpub for putting on an amazing buffet dinner for members, it was outstanding! If you haven't tried them yet we highly suggest you do!
 Sunshine Festival - The 21st annual Sunshine Festival took place on June 18th and although we saw some rain in the afternoon it didn't stop festival goers from attending! Approximately 10,000 people came downtown to shop, dine, play, and listen to music with their families and friends. A huge thank you to our many festival sponsors; Valley First, Nixon Wenger, Kalavida, The Rock Garden, Fortis, SunFm, and Briteland.
Bike to Work Week May 30 - June 5
Did you know that......
- 995 total cyclists, 280 NEW cyclists, a total of 136 teams participated
- 4 elementary schools hosted celebration stations and 4 secondary schools were involved
- 21,213 total kilometers cycled with 4601 Kg GHG’s saved and burned 636,806 Calories
July at a Glance
Downtown Vernon Spirit Awards 2015
 
The Spirit Award was introduced in 2008 to celebrate BC’s 150th birthday. The purpose of this award is to honor a business (or businesses) for outstanding contributions to the Downtown business community and its customers over the long term. The award recipient has to have demonstrated a tangible impact on the business community and have a history of participation in community activities. For 2015 we are very fortunate to have two businesses that have raised the bar and they are using customer service to differentiate their business from others.
There is much that can be said about the first recipient business. In the nomination letter key words used to describe the staff at Good Gracious & Practical Kitchen were always ‘friendly’ and ‘enthusiastic’. It appears that each and every customer interaction reinforces the message that ‘our customers are important to us and we will work hard to make sure you are satisfied’. Good Gracious & Practical Kitchen are always ready to participate in events and promotions and willing to go the extra mile for Downtown.
It was said that the second recipient business ‘supports all of the surrounding downtown businesses every single day’. The nomination letter for Castanet Vernon expressed just how hard the staff works attending many local charity events including the Easter Seals Camp Makeover. Castanet Vernon actively engages and enlists their clients and customers in an entirely new way.
Congratulations Castanet and Good Gracious for winning the Downtown Spirit Award 2015
Road Construction Updates
30th Street - Highway 6 to 30th Avenue road improvement and utility upgrade details are provided on the City of Vernon website. Please familiarize yourself with the information using the following link. City contacts are provided as well as map and construction details.
https://www.vernon.ca/roads-transportation/projects/30-street-highway-6-30-avenue-road-improvement-and-utility-upgrade
City of Vernon 'Kindness Meters'
 In response to concerns regarding panhandling, The City of Vernon has installed 5 'Kindness Meters' in the downtown core. The purpose of these meters is to encourage people to donate to services that use the funds to feed, clothe, and shelter those that require aid throughout the community. When money is donated directly to a community service the funds go further than if given to an individual. Please contact the City of Vernon (250-545-1361) if you have comments, questions, or concerns regarding the meter program.
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Downtown Vernon Association
The Downtown Vernon Association is an energetic and focused business organization representing over 550+ members.
Through programs and services including networking, special events, marketing, infrastructure maintenance, and more, the DVA continues to work at strengthening the economic vitality of Downtown Vernon for its members. |
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