Meet the Neighbors The Partnership for Warrenton he Partnership for Warrenton is a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the economic and aesthetic development of Old Town Warrenton. I talked with Jennifer Goldman, the Partnership’s executive director, about the organization and its role in our community. What is the Partnership’s focus? JG: We are a 501(c)3 non-profit which is part of the Virginia Main Street program. Our focus is on the vitalization of the Old Town Warrenton area and promotion of local businesses and organizations. We want to see architecture preserved, the local economy thriving, and the community actively engaged and enjoying the businesses and events around Main Street. What type of events does the Partnership promote? JG: We have several events that we organize annually: T Interview by Danielle Rice First Friday, Evening Under the Stars, and Christmas in Old Town. In addition to these four major events, we have committees that focus on enhancing Old Town through improvement projects such as installation of new lamp posts on Main Street, historic preservation, and promotion of businesses and restaurants. Tell us more about your annual events. JG: The First Friday Celebrations (which run May-October) encourage the community to come out and enjoy the local businesses, shops, and restaurants. We have music, artists, entertainment and dinner specials at our award-winning restaurants. The 3rd Saturday of September, we host the Evening Under the Stars, a gala fundraiser to support the Partnership’s projects, which features tastings from an estimated two dozen of the area’s top restaurants and caterers and dancing in the street to live music. In December, we bring the community Christmas in Old Town and GumDrop Square, both of which are highly anticipated and well-attended events in the community. In fact, GumDrop Square was voted the Best Annual Event in Warrenton Lifestyle magazine’s 2013 reader favorites poll and was named a “Top 20 Event in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society. How can the community be involved with the Partnership? JG: Well, of course we encourage you to attend events and frequent the businesses in Old Town. We also appreciate monetary donations and volunteers to support the projects and committees. We have four very active committees that need members who have time to donate to making sure projects get planned and completed. In addition, we can use volunteers at each event and in the office for administrative support. If you’d like to volunteer with us, please contact me at Jennifer@ PartnershipforWarrenton.org. Where can we find more information about the Partnership and your activities? JG: Our website (www. partnershipforwarrenton. org) is a great starting point for information about our organization, as well as the businesses in the area and community events. We’re well represented on Facebook, with pages for The Partnership for Warrenton Foundation, Evening Under the Stars, GumDrop Square, and 1st Fridays in Warrenton. We also publish a monthly enewsletter which you can read online or receive via email. Visiting with Santa at Gumdrop Square is a highlight of the holiday season for many in the Warrenton area. Revelers enjoy dancing in the crisp night air during the annual Evening Under the Stars gala fundraiser. 2013 • Issue 5 Piedmont Family Magazine 21