The past year has been … trying. We’ve faced new challenges as a community, bobbing and weaving our way through the year, and dealing with losses and frustration. The positive side is – we’ve done it all together! The welcoming and caring culture in our town cannot be subdued, and has been forged even stronger as we look forward to our new normal.
SPARQ is proud to say that we’ve really hit the ground running in our first full year in existence. We wanted to take a few moments to celebrate some of the accomplishments from the year.
Manhole Cover Art
We continue to dot South Pittsburg with mini pieces of art. The idea with this project was to turn the mundane into inspiration. Art can be anywhere! We started off strong with a Pirate P by the stadium, and are currently working on a beautiful one to celebrate our town’s river heritage. We plan to paint a few more, and will be putting out the call for community-created designs early next year. Stay tuned to share your ideas!
Artober
What a fun and successful ‘event’ during a difficult time without gatherings. The plan was to highlight both local artists and local businesses at the same time. Our downtown storefronts were filled with such a diverse collection of creativity, turning our historic sidewalks into an open-air gallery. Do you have any artistic hobbies that you plan to work on in 2021?
Tennessee RiverTowns Program
The Tennessee River is South Pittsburg’s greatest, yet most underutilized resource. When SPARQ first heard of the TN RiverLine Program, we were eager to get involved. We banded together with some other passionate community members, put in our application to become a “Tennessee RiverTown” and were accepted. Keep your eyes peeled for exciting developments from this program!
Thriving Communities Grant
The Thrive Regional Partnership‘s “Thriving Communities” program is a community accelerator designed to enhance leadership and community development, helping communities grow from within. On behalf of the city of South Pittsburg, SPARQ sought and was awarded a grant to be used next year for some very exciting creative placemaking plans! Stay tuned for more info soon.
Like the rest of the world, we are very much looking forward to 2021! We’ve got so many great people, ideas, and projects in the making that we can’t wait to share with everyone. Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news and ways to get involved.
Happy New Year!
– The SPARQ Team