By NATE KING
Salina Post
Referred to as the "ambassadors of downtown Salina," Salina Downtown Inc. has been part of the downtown community for 48 years. Salina Post sat down with Leslie Bishop, executive director for Salina Downtown Inc., to talk about First Fridays, more downtown murals coming this fall and her reflections on the downtown revitalization project.
Where exactly is downtown Salina?
According to Bishop, Salina's downtown runs from Elm Street to Prescott Avenue and then part of Eighth Street to part of Fourth Street. It also includes all the cross streets in between like Walnut Street, Iron Avenue, and South Street. This area is officially referred to as a business improvement district. Bishop said last year the Kanas Department of Commerce designated Salina downtown as a Kansas Main Street.
To become a designated Kansas Main Street community, registrants must participate in a competitive, annual application process. A community's application must demonstrate
●Public and private support for the program, as well as the capability of the applicant to successfully implement the local Main Street program.
●Financial capability to employ a paid professional director, fund a local Main Street Program, and support downtown-related projects.
●A cohesive and distinct variety of business activity conducted in a proposed Main Street Program area.
●An interest in, and commitment to, historic preservation, specifically in the designated downtown district.
"Being a designated Kansas Main Street and being a member of Main Street America allows Salina Downtown to be set apart from just being a 'downtown' in a community," Bishop said. "Being designated a Kansas Mainstreet is a small and elite group. It allows for free monthly and quarterly training from Main Street Kansas and we also receive weekly newsletters that keep us informed of other downtowns in Kansas."
Bishop said the designation also provides opportunities for grants.
First Fridays
You may have seen the green grass start to peak up in your yard and less of a need to wear your winter coat, which means Spring is just around the corner and First Fridays are back in Salina.
First Friday is a collaborative evening showcasing the best entertainment, restaurants, shops, and cultural attractions in downtown Salina.
Bishop said First Fridays have been a tradition in Salina for years. However last year was the first year they had occurred consistently.
"It was so exciting to see the community come together last year for First Fridays," Bishop said. "To be a gathering place, that's our goal for downtown Salina- to be the community neighborhood."
BOOM! Salina
In October of last year, the first BOOM! Salina Street Art and Mural Festival was organized by the Salina Kanvas Project in cooperation with Salina Arts & Humanities, the Stiefel Theatre, Theatre Salina, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, The Salina Art Center, Salina 2020, and Salina Downtown, Inc.
Bishop told Salina Post more murals could be expected to make their grand debut this October.
"I can't take any credit for the downtown murals other than the Downtown Salina Inc. had the good fortune to be the recipient," Bishop said. "The Kansas Canvas Project, Travis Young, Eric Montoy-they were the catalyst. We were able to give a little bit of funding in our office, especially the wall in Campbell Plaza. We helped get that wall ready to be painted. And I'm excited to know that BOOM! is coming back Oct. 5 of this year."
Legacy of leadership
After she graduated from Salina Central High School, Bishop married her husband and raised a family as a stay-at-home mom for a number of years.
"I took a career break and was a stay at home mom for many years-I'm very grateful," Bishop said, "Then in March of 2021, I was hired at Salina Downtown Inc., and it was just a wonderful career change and brings back some of that marketing and hospitality background that I have. I've loved every minute of it. I have two incredible support staff, April Rickman and Dian Gebhardt. I'm very fortunate to have both of them and together the three of us we're doing really great things."
Bishop's mother, Ann Knowles, also served as the first executive director for Salina Downtown Inc., back in 1982.
"It's very surreal but it's a lot of fun, too, because she gives me some history," Bishop said. "She's still here in Salina. And a lot of people still know her from that role. I'm a proud daughter, that my mom was the one that kicked all this off."