2026 Quarter 2 Recap
Heart of Jasper kicked off 2026 with 2 new Transformation Strategies-Alive After 5! And Connect, Park, Walk Downtown.
The Economic Vitality Committee administered Round 6 of the Façade Grant Program. Three of the 9 projects have been completed. The remaining 6 have a deadline as of December 31st. The nine projects total over $694,000 of private investment dollars in the downtown. One business received $10,000 from the New Business Incentive to relocate their restaurant to a vacant building in the downtown. This totals to $20,000 for the year from the business incentive. The Old National Bank Foundation selected Heart of Jasper as a recipient for $15,000 to be used for a new program, Business Expansion Incentive. This incentive is available for current businesses with the Heart of Jasper who are expanding and growing their business. Applications are due on July 10th. The Vacant Building list is updated as needed and uploaded on to the Heart of Jasper Website. A designated team was created to focus on public restrooms. This committee identified the need, possible solutions with location, cost, and maintenance to present to the City of Jasper. The goal is to have public restrooms in downtown Jasper by August 1st.
The 2026 Fundraising Campaign kicked off in February with Board Members and Organization Committee members helping with the letter campaign. The fundraising work continues throughout Quarter 2 with follow ups to lapsed donors, postcard mailings to educate and reach new donors for Heart of Jasper, and secure sponsors and partners for upcoming events. Weekly newsletters are sent to over 500 contacts with upcoming events for the week and other important announcements from Heart of Jasper.
The Promotion Committee has been busy planning events for the year. Weekly Music on Main began in May with scheduled every Friday night in May-July from 6-8pm. Alive After 5! Is the first Friday of the Month from May-December with late shopping hours, live music, vendors, games, etc. Based on Placer AI data, during the hours of the May Alive After 5! There were over 600 visitors to the Downtown Jasper Square and during the June Alive After 5! there were over 400 visitors to the Downtown Jasper Square! The Downtown Chowdown is back for the 7th year and the first event was held on the first Thursday in June. The upcoming events are July 2nd and September 3rd. The July Chowdown is our city’s celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary. This event will be held at Jaycee Park and the Jasper Pool with 3 bands playing from 5-10, sand volleyball games, bounce house, pool party, and ending the evening with a drone show. Mingle on Main is our annual fundraiser scheduled for the first Friday in October. The Promotion Committee created a new program this year called the Mini Activation Grant. An application was created for current businesses and organizations to apply for up to $500 to spend on events or projects that will activate the downtown. $2,500 were allotted for this grant and 5 recipients were awarded $500. The funds were used for items such as live music, outdoor heaters, material for a Chalk Walk festival, caricature artist.
The Design Committee is working with IU students from the Luddy School to complete the installation of sensors in the Piano Alley. Biweekly meetings are scheduled to get an update on progress. The sensors are scheduled to be installed by December 31st. Heart of Jasper received a $7500 grant from the National Realtors Association to complete this project. Heart of Jasper partnered with IU CRE Placemaking Studio for a summer project to help with wayfinding signs throughout the downtown. By August, Heart of Jasper will be presented with 2 designs of wayfinding signs. Heart of Jasper Design committee will be responsible for decision making, fundraising, and implementation of the signs once approved by the Board of Directors. Avenue of Flags is a program through Jasper Optimist Club. For 6 holidays throughout the year, American Flags are displayed in neighborhoods through the city. Heart of Jasper registered the downtown as a “neighborhood”. Heart of Jasper volunteers place 40 flags throughout the downtown for Memorial Day and Flag Day. The upcoming holidays are 4th of July, Labor Day, 9/11, and Veterans Day. Twenty volunteers showed up to plant flowers in the downtown flower pots for Love Your Community Clean Up day. This mix of volunteers include corporate employees, friends of Heart of Jasper, and committee members.
