Grassroots of Tarboro

Promoting Tarboro is not something that must be done by an "official" group, or even by an un-official group like the Grassroots of Tarboro.  Each and every one of us can find a way to promote our town.  It can be something as simple as making a visitor feel welcomed and guiding them to places in Tarboro that may interest them, or you could do what Rusty Holderness did to get Tarboro in a nationwide publication.

In the last issue of THE WEEK magazine the Steal of the Week in real estate is a beautiful home for sale right here in Tarboro.  Rusty subscribes to the publication and knew that if readers saw what their real estate dollars could buy in Edgecombe County, North Carolina there would be no doubt that it was "a steal".

He contacted them several times, asking them to "check out" properties in Tarboro, but didn't get a response until this last issue (April 25, 2008).  There, on page 47, surrounded by beautiful expensive homes from around the country, The Steal of the Week, right here in Tarboro!  A gorgeous Victorian home in the historic district, with a STEAL of a list price; just $319,000.

That home doesn't belong to Rusty, he is not the real estate agent for the property, he's not going to make money if that house sells.  He didn't do it for the money or for any immediate gratification. He promotes Tarboro for the same reasons that we promote Tarboro.  He loves this town and wants it to thrive.  He wants people to know how nice it is to live here. He wants to "get the word out" about what we have to offer and we truly do have wonderful old homes at prices that are a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere.

Thanks Rusty, your persistance paid off!  I'd be curious to hear from the Coldwell Banker office that listed that property what kind of response they are getting from that publication.

Rusty also promotes Tarboro through his website, HistoricTarboro.com .

In this blog I voice my opinion. Mine. Just mine. Not the opinion of everyone who is a part of Grassroots of Tarboro.  I am not necessarily the voice of GOT, I'm just me and I write this blog because it keeps this website active and it draws people to this site and it gets people stirred up and it makes things happen.

I understand website promotion a little bit. I understand that if I made this as a static site that simply provided basic information, a visitor would come once, and may never come back again.  By having a blog on this site and a way for people to respond, the site is interactive and remains interesting.  You can read what I posted today and come back in a few days to see what comments have been made by readers or to see what other topics I've blogged about. I can tell from my page stats that a lot of people revisit the site on a fairly regular basis, a few come nearly every day.

I know that on occasion the online posting of my opinions makes waves in our quiet little town, and some people don't like wave-makers, so the blog might sometimes draw a negative reaction that may or may not be directed at the Grassroots of Tarboro as a whole.  I am just one person, just a tiny part of the Grassroots of Tarboro. If you don't like my opinions, try to remember that they are MY opinions and try to stay focused on the good things for Tarboro that the GOT people are working on.   

 I hope you all realize that my heart is in the right place.   I care about this town.  I care about the people of this town. I want good things for Tarboro and everyone who lives here.  I think the benefits of having an active blog that attracts an expanding number of interested and active people, outweigh the negative aspects of a few people who might disagree with my personal opinions. 

Last night's meeting for Tarboro's 2nd Saturdays had a great turn-out.  We're still putting all of the pieces together for May 10th, but we have a good group of people working to make it happen so,  this morning,  I'm feeling very encouraged.

Although we originally thought that the Tarboro Townwide Yard Sale would only be a Spring and Fall event, we had such a good response to the April 12th  Townwide Yard Sale that Kim and Frank are going to help get another one going for May 10th.  If you are planning a yard sale anytime in the near future, plan it for Saturday, May 10th and be included in the Townwide Yard Sale Directory.   Those who were included in April 12th's Directory said they had a crowd of buyers!

I'll be working with the downtown businesses to help them to coordinate with one another to make the day interesting for downtown shoppers. In the meantime, Alice is working on a Mothers Trivia Game to get folks to visit the various participating businesses. Other businesses and non-profit groups will again come downtown to share in the fun. The Grindhouse Tattoo will be offering tempoary tattoos and face-painting and we're hoping to get Myra McCall back with her oh so relaxing mini-massages.

Seems like the big draw for the day will be FOOD!!!  I don't have all of the details yet but I do believe that Saturday, May 10th will bring some tantalizing tastes to downtown Tarboro.

I'll be posting the details of what is being scheduled as it becomes more solidified on the 2nd Saturday - May 10th page.

Anyone with any ideas for activities, or who wishes to participate in the event, or who wishes to volunteer their time or services, or DONATE money, or simply needs more information, contact me.

As I talk to more and more people about what they would like to see in Tarboro's future, none of their suggestions are out of reach.  Many are simple changes that will improve the quality of life here, but each will require a plan of action and a few dedicated people working to make it happen.

So many of you web-readers have full lives and busy schedules that the idea of physically attending any additional meetings seems out of the question, but you have knowledge and resources of which we could all benefit.

I've been trying to think how this webspace can be best used to help coordinate the many little projects and help them to come to fruition.  I am considering having separate discussion boards for each idea that needs development.

I could create a GOT Projects main category with a sub-category discussion board for each of the projects.  These discussion boards could allow readers to create an ongoing (on-GROWing) interactive dialogue for the wants, needs and how-tos of each specific project.

Here are a few projects: 

1. Ways to improve our schools / educational offerings
2. A FREE weekly community newspaper / Networking ALL of the residents.
3. A food buying group / Food coop / wholefood grocer / farmers market.
4. An Artists Cooperative / Arts & Crafts marketplace / workspace/gallery 
5. Local Political Activism / selecting & supporting leadership that will guide us into a fruitful future.
6. Job creation / Attracting Businesses / Rethinking Income Methods
7. Town Promotion / Tourism / Revitalization

Before I do the work, I'd like your feedback.  Do you think it will be useful?  Do you think it is a good way to get the most out of ALL interested people?  Do you think that online discussions will help us to achieve our goals? 

Many people email their ideas, questions and comments to me. I'd like them to provide topic specific boards where they can share these thoughts and allow everyone to respond.

Don't make me figure this out by myself.  Talk to me!