By Jalen Maki

Tomahawk Leader Editor

TOMAHAWK – Tomahawk Fall Fest, organized by Tomahawk Main Street Inc. and held downtown every year, earned Honorable Mention in the Special Event category of the 2019 Wisconsin Main Street Awards, ten years after Tomahawk became a Main Street Community.

Fall Fest provides the opportunity for attendees to enjoy downtown Tomahawk while shopping and taking part in free activities, including free movie showings at Tomahawk Cinema, pumpkin painting, cookie decorating, and face painting.

Last year’s event, held on Oct. 26, brought over 1,000 people to downtown Tomahawk. Nearly 700 kids participated in trick-or-treating at downtown businesses.

Last year’s Fall Fest brought over 1,000 people to downtown Tomahawk. Photo by Craig Tebon Photography.

“The event is a boon to retail stores, which reported increases in sales between 20% and 175%,” the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) said in a release from Tuesday, July 7. “The popular event highlights the downtown design, businesses, volunteerism and family activities that Tomahawk prides itself on year-round.”

Main Street and other downtown businesses have won numerous awards over the last decade.

Main Street’s “Win the Window” event earned Honorable Mention in the Best Downtown Retail Event category in 2009. In 2011, “Project Opportunity Knocks” was honored as the Best Business Development Program.

The Rustic Essence won Best Interior Renovation Project under $50,000 in 2015. In 2016, Café on Main earned Honorable Mention in the Best New Business Category, and the Farm to Table event won Best Volunteer Engagement in 2018.

“The awards received showcase not only our commitment as an organization, but individual businesses as well, in promoting a strong program and volunteer development, economic development, design and beautification, and events and image/tourism development,” said Tomahawk Main Street Executive Director Aimee Dickrell. “I couldn’t be prouder of being a part of such a wonderful organization and community and can’t wait to see what the next decade brings.”

The Wisconsin Main Street Program was launched in 1987 and is overseen by WEDC. It provides “support and training for organizations dedicated to downtown revitalization efforts.”

“Since the program’s inception, Wisconsin Main Street communities have created more than 2,800 net new businesses and over 15,000 net new jobs,” WEDC said. “They also have generated more than $2.1 billion in public and private investment since then and are renovating more than 250 buildings per year.”