Last night I enjoyed an evening at Clementine, a fun and very trendy restaurant that opened earlier this year in the old Strand Theater building. I was mindful that I might not have been able to enjoy dining there without the efforts of Eddie Bumbaugh and his staff at Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance. Since 2002 this non-profit organization has worked tirelessly to promote downtown Harrisonburg as an ideal place to live, work, shop, dine, or even start a business.

In their own words,

Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to revitalize downtown Harrisonburg. To accomplish this, HDR follows the philosophy of Virginia Main Street, viewing revitalization as an effort between economic development, beautification, promotion and events, and engaging the local community.

By any standard, they have done a fantastic job in reaching this goal. I look forward to what they are able to accomplish in the coming years.

Note: We’ve added their blog, “Ask Eddie,” to the blogroll on the right.