Main Street Masters tees off another successful year

Cooler temps and little sunshine did not stop Washington community members from coming out to enjoy the Main Street Masters putt-putt tournament sponsored by Main Street Washington on Friday, May 3.

Sarah Grunewaldt. executive director of Main Street Washington, said there were 24 holes for people to golf at and a little more than 120 people golfing. She was excited to see so many people outside and interacting with eachother.

'I just love watching downtown come to life after 5 o'clock at night,” she said. 'Whether stores are open or people are out just wandering, eating at the restaurants or playing putt-putt golf on the square, it's just silly and fun and it's a great event for everybody of all ages.”

Grunewaldt said what makes this event special is that it is open to all ages and created for the purpose of bringing people together downtown to create strong bonds.

'It's not just shopping local, it's building an emotional attachment to your community. People who love where they live also love what they do for a living. They love their schools and they pay attention to their community and want to make it better and so building that feeling of love and emotional attachment in your community is super important to the revitalization of a downtown,” she said.

Terry Philips, owner of Mills Seed Co., said building relationships and introducing people to his business is why he chose to participate again after a successful evening last year.

'It's fun getting in people who don't always know what we do,” he said. 'We're a little bit out of the way, so it's nice to get people in.”

He said he enjoys supporting Main Street Washington events because they are a chance for people to get together and interact with one another.

'One of the things that communities run into is (a lack of) people working together and doing things together,” he said. 'There are so many things going on with the internet and stuff, it is so easy to get disconnected with the community ... It's kind of nice to have an event like this.”

Brent Kromrie, owner of Brown's Shoe Fit and Main Street Washington board president, said he was excited about the turnout and seeing so many families come out to enjoy the event. He said the more people that come out and get to enjoy things, the better.

'It's nice that it's a family-friendly event (because) not everything is,” he said. 'It's always nice to have more people involved.”