VIENNA — Vienna Main Street’s “benefit for banners” farm-to-table dinner fundraiser drew a crowd of about 70 people to the Haller Automotive showroom last Friday to enjoy a meal of locally sourced food and hear about the organization’s plans to revitalize Vienna.

During the dinner, Vienna Main Street President Carrie Kleffner said the organization had raised enough money through sponsorships with local businesses that it would be able to pay for all of its banners. The banners will line the courthouse square, Highway 42 and Highway 63.

Kleffner said Vienna Main Street has applied for a grant that would bring light posts, benches and trash cans to downtown Vienna. The organization expects to know the results of the grant sometime in August. If it receives the grant, then the banners will hang from the new light posts.

“It takes a whole community to make something like this work,” Kleffner said while addressing attendees. “We have all kinds of goals and visions, and we really, really appreciate, from the bottom of our hearts, everything.”

The evening also featured a speech by Warrensburg Main Street Inc. Executive Director Jamie Debacker. The Warrensburg organization has been operating for nearly 30 years and serves as a model for Main Street organizations around the state.

Debacker began her address by discussing her history with Warrensburg’s Main Street organization. She started working there five years ago and received a promotion to executive director in January.

“I am just someone who simply cares about the place that I grew up in and saw an opportunity to be part of the change I wanted to see in my own community,” she said.

During the speech, Debacker emphasized the importance of the people attending the dinner in the organization’s future.

“Change starts with us,” she said. “With each person in this room who believes in the power of investing in your local program, whether this is through supporting a small business, championing your neighbor or simply caring deeply about the community we all call home. It’s not about the grant projects or the large-scale events; it’s about the everyday action and the shared commitment for those who invest their time, energy and resources into making their community thrive.”

Vienna Main Street has already begun working on some of the small changes Debacker suggested, including adding streetlight banners and planters around town. Other projects she mentioned included updating sidewalks and crosswalks.

“Small progress can help people see a bigger reason to invest in the place that they call home,” she said.

Debacker asked attendees to consider what investing in their downtown can do for the community.

“It starts to bring back the identity of your community,” she said. “It can help showcase your unique history and culture. When a downtown area is thoughtfully restored and maintained, it becomes a focal point for your local commerce and social activities.”

As a farm-to-table dinner, the event emphasized the focus on locally sourced food. The organizations, businesses and individuals who provided food and supplies for the dinner included Vienna Eagles F.O.E., Farmer’s Meat Market, Big Bear’s Butcher Shop, Roll with It, The Market, Gigi’s Farmers Market, Blessed Bean, The Bus Stop, Junction Cafe, 63 Distribution, Studio 607, Vienna/Rader Methodist Church, River Road Blossoms, Pat Richardson and Colleen Barnhart.

“We had a fantastic turnout,” Kleffner said. “We heard lots of compliments. The silent auction went very well.”

Looking ahead, Vienna Main Street is already planning projects for 2025. The organization’s priorities for next year include painting crosswalks, bringing at least one mural to town and adding “Welcome to Vienna” signs to the north and south ends of town.

Vienna Main Street is a nonprofit organization run by volunteers. The group hosts local events such as the Halloween Trunk or Treat and Christmas Around the Square. It meets monthly at the Vienna Lions Club with the next meeting on Aug. 16 at 11 a.m. Anyone interested in helping the organization with its future projects can find more information on its Facebook page, Vienna Main Street, or by emailing viennamainstreet@gmail.com.