On Monday evening, September 27, 2010, Tryon Downtown Development Association held its annual meeting. Held at Tryon Country Club with 50 or so individuals in attendance, the event was considered a success.

The first item on the agenda was an address by TDDA president Crys Armbrust, who credited the early citizenry of Tryon with planning, giving, and working as a community. He ended with a plea to all current citizens to be informed and active.

Two members of the board were recognized for their volunteer service and their spirit of giving to Tryon. Mark Byington was honored for creating the master plan, for overseeing the streetscape, and for negotiating with landscapers throughout the process of the downtown beautification project. Byington had been involved with TDDA from its beginning.

Mayor Alan Peoples honored Wanda May with a Resolution of Appreciation for all she has done for TDDA and for the Town of Tryon. Wanda headed up the 125th Birthday Celebration during Labor Day weekend; in addition she has spent countless hours doing volunteer work for the town as a member of the TDDA board and in other ways.

The remarks by guest speaker Sherry Adams were congratulatory, affirming, and informational. As a credentialed coordinator for the North Carolina Small Town Main Street Program, Adams applauded Tryons achievements and praised our community efforts. She explained the program and delineated how our successes appropriately follow the guidelines set forth by the Main Street Program.

Among TDDAs successes are grants totaling $111,000 from N.C. Rural Center, the Polk County Community Foundation, and the Ghetto Youth Foundation. Tryon Theatre and Owens Pharmacy completed faade improvements. The Nina Simone Plaza, McCown Street rose bank, New Market Road fencing, and Fredericks have completed landscape/streetscape improvements. In dollars, the total private investment completed is $702,000.

TDDA officers for next year are Crys Armbrust, president, Steve Cobb, vice president, Kate Stroup, secretary, and Justin Vosburgh, treasurer. New board members are Shelly Block, owner of La Bouteille, Ed Chapman, former real estate agent and developer, Paula Hamilton Edwards, owner of A New Outlook Salon, Pam Johnston, owner of Elmos Pub & Grill, Karen Jones, newcomer to Tryon, Bill Ingham, owner of Trade Street Gallery and Coffee Shop, and David Walen, who has worked in architectural, craft, and design fields.

The mission of TDDA is to preserve and enhance the community of Tryon through a downtown revitalization program that focuses on economic restructuring, streetscape design and historic preservation. For more information, call 828-859-6484 or visit www.downtowntryon.org.