Community Success Stories

Wathena

PRIDE Energizing Wathena

“I’m excited!” stated Teresa McAnerney. “PRIDE has been very unifying for our community. People see all the activity on St. Joseph Street (the main street downtown) and wonder what is going on. They drive down town just to check it out.”

The flurry of activity is caused by the Farmers Market held every Thursday afternoon from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m., on the block in front of city hall in Wathena. The Farmers Market, started the first of July, has been a win/win situation for all involved. Sellers are quickly selling out of their commodities and buyers are getting fresh home grown or home made products. The signage placed on Highway 36 attracts visitors and they drive into town to check out what is going on.
 

To make this even more of a social event, Wathena now offers “Market and a Movie” on Thursday evenings. Following the Farmers Market, an outdoor movie is shown bringing back memories of the old drive in theaters. Instead of sitting in cars, neighbors bring along their lawn chairs, coolers, blankets and snacks to settle in for the social event of the week. The street remains blocked off to traffic and the film is projected onto a building.

The success of the project has come from the diversified background and dedication of the PRIDE committee. They have members that are from the city council, the mayor, and residents from the town and the country. The city has been very supportive of PRIDE's efforts and appreciate the changes they are seeing in the community.

Yard of the Month has been a great program to inspire individuals to keep up their lawns and gardens. They work with neighboring PRIDE communities to exchange judging of the lawns. Highland judges for Wathena, Troy judges for Highland and Elwood has started a Yard of the Month contest too. The PRIDE program is serving as a vehicle to unify these four communities in Doniphan County.

CLICK HERE for a flier with information on Wathena's Farmers Market!

Check out Wathena PRIDE on Facebook!


 

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