Make it three straight years for Emporia Main Street as a participant in USA Today’s 10Best Main Streets contest.
USA Today announced 20 participants Monday, including cities as big as Denver, Colorado; cities with lengthy histories like Salem, Massachusetts; and towns as small as Woodstock, Vermont. Emporia Main Street Director Casey Woods says the announcement surprised him. Having said that, Woods says Emporia Main Street is doing things other Main Street organizations aren’t.
Emporia finished second in 2024 and 2025. Emporia won the contest in 2016. Woods sees the 2026 nomination as reflective of both new efforts and ongoing work.
Besides its involvement in community activities, notably downtown, Main Street continues its work in building redevelopment — focusing on projects offering upper-story development — and reinvestment to the tune of almost $200 million since 1991.
Woods also says the Main Street nomination points to a lot of behind-the-scenes work, both inside Main Street and across downtown Emporia.
Voting is now underway through 11 am CDT April 6. The top 10 will be revealed April 15. Vote once per IP address per day. Click here to vote.
