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ELKINS -- A local grass roots group has been working to make a positive impact on tourism and economic development in the city of Elkins.
Our Town, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the environment of downtown Elkins, making it more appealing to residents and visitors alike.
The nonprofit was initially formed to acquire the assets of the annual 4th of July Mountain State Street Machines car show in Elkins in order to prevent it from coming to an end, as the Chamber of Commerce lacked the volume of volunteers to move forward with the event.
"We felt that we could take over the car show because we've planned multiple events in the past. It's good for our community," said Tammy Dolly, executive board member of Our Town.
Dolly applauds the efforts of other organizations committed to harboring a pleasant downtown environment, like Elkins Main Street, and believes that "there's no such thing as too much effort" when bringing a community together.
After the success of the nonprofit in its first year, members felt as though they could do more to benefit the community.
"We're just a group of volunteers, so there are no administrative costs," Dolly said. "We don't have an executive director; we don't have an office. We're trying to keep any and all overhead to a minimum so all the money that Our Town raises can be used for community projects."
Our Town's current objective and first community project is to raise funds for a downtown sound system that could be used for downtown events, announcements and emergency broadcasts.
Dolly brought the idea before the Elkins City Council Municipal Properties Committee at their May 23 meeting. Our Town has already pledged the first $5,000 of the funds necessary to bring the project to fruition.
With community at its forefront, Our Town will be offering several opportunities for citizens of the Elkins area to experience in the coming months, including the Summer Concert Series on Wednesdays at the Elkins Depot Welcome Center, Cruise-Ins every Thursday hosted by the Delmonte Market and the Mountain State Street Machines, and Mountain State Street Machine Auto Extravaganza July 5-7 in downtown Elkins.
Between Our Town and Mountain State Street Machines, the organization has approximately 25 volunteers. As Our Town is looking for more fundraising ideas, Dolly encourages those who have ideas that could benefit the community to become involved.
"We need boots on the ground; we need doers and people with ideas. Our biggest goal is for everything we do to be translated directly into the community,"| she said. "If anyone has skills that they would like to share, I would encourage them to stop by the Delmonte and let Doug Starcher or myself know that they would like to be a part of Our Town."