Downtown Rutland, The hub of your holiday experience
Originally Published as “Downtown Rutland Partnership: The hub of your holiday experience” by Tiffany Saltis
November 7, 2022
Rutland Herald
It’s hard to believe that October is already behind us. Despite the warm temperatures in downtown Rutland, October brought the familiar sights and events that people have looked forward to all year long. Fall foliage filled the air with hues of red and gold. The traditional Halloween parade returned to the streets of downtown with all the trappings of a ghoulishly good time.
October also brought reasons to celebrate. Mountain Girl Cannabis opened its doors to an excited public. Popular mural artist LMNOPI and Chaffee Art Center unveiled the artist’s new mural “A Beginner’s Mind” on Rutland City Hall after successfully reaching their $6,000 fundraising goal through a Better Places Crowdfunding campaign.
With November underway, the Downtown Rutland Partnership has turned its attention to the holiday season. The month kicked off with a successful Seasonal Sip & Shop, in which folks took advantage of starting their holiday shopping early. Twenty downtown businesses hosted Vermont food and beverage producers for a night focused on supporting local makers and businesses. Around 300 participants began their evening at the Paramount Theatre before strolling through participating downtown businesses at their leisure for unique bites and beverages.
Initial feedback was overwhelmingly positive. A range of participating businesses reported new customers and revenue generated from the event. Meanwhile, participants expressed excitement for more events like the Sip & Shop. While initial feedback was positive, the DRP is already looking for ways to improve the event for the spring.
Next up on the agenda will be the annual Holiday Tree Lighting on Friday, Nov. 25. Folks are invited to join in Depot Park for Santa’s arrival by firetruck at 6 p.m. to light the Downtown Rutland Christmas Tree. The Rutland High School choir will sing popular carols before Rutland Mayor David Allaire speaks. Promptly thereafter, Santa will light the tree, and the choir’s music will fill the air once again.
Before and after the tree lighting, people may enjoy family-friendly fun at Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum, where kids will have a chance to decorate their own free holiday ornament. Decorating ornaments will be available from 5 to 7 p.m.
The first 200 attendees at the tree lighting will also receive free holiday light specs and candy canes. Free hot cocoa will be provided at the event by Mission City Church. Afterward, people are encouraged to walk around downtown Rutland to admire the festively decorated windows as the Holiday Window Decorating contest will also kick off on Nov. 25. The contest will run until Dec. 27. Community members will be encouraged to vote for their favorite, and guest judges will tour the windows to vote for their favorites in a range of categories.
Fun is expected to continue into the weekend as Saturday, Nov. 26, will offer our Holiday Stroll on Small Business Saturday. All throughout downtown Rutland, businesses will promote a range of sales, specials, giveaways and services, such as gift wrapping. The DRP will be out and about celebrating the downtown businesses that make our community unique. You’ll want to follow along as we’ll be joining the fun with gift card and goodie bag giveaways.
Outside of events, DRP is working on different initiatives, such as fundraising improvements and putting together a gift guide highlighting a range of exciting products and services available downtown. Our organization was able to work with the City of Rutland to double the number of scheduled trash removals from downtown. Discussions between DRP and Casella Waste Systems are ongoing with hopes to replace the current downtown waste receptacles. DRP is also looking to create a range of one-of-a-kind downtown Rutland items where proceeds will directly go towards supporting small business grants and community events.
In other exciting Downtown news, The MINT-Rutland’s Makerspace has opened a holiday pop-up space through December on Merchants Row, offering unique items crafted by local makers, and West Street Grille has officially opened its doors. Taking over the space once home to Little Harry’s, the eclectic and bold menu will surely win over even the most critical Rutland palates.
The grand opening of The HUB, Downtown Rutland’s coworking space on Merchants Row, is scheduled for Nov. 14. The Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region will also hold its annual meeting that evening. Tours of the co-working space will begin at 5 p.m. with the annual meeting beginning at 6 p.m.
Suffice to say, “hub” is a word that will now be associated with Rutland, and what a fitting word indeed. Let Downtown Rutland be the hub of your holiday experience. With dining opportunities, stores, services and special events all season long, Downtown Rutland offers the unique holiday experiences you’re looking for.