Monday, March 28, 2016 was a joyous and beautiful day for the River District!  Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones joined Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development Director Bill Shelton, Virginia Delegate Danny Marshall and Mayor Sherman Saunders to announce that the River District is a 2016 Virginia Main Street Community.  Virginia Main Street (VMS) is part of a successful national movement to revitalize America’s historic downtown business districts.  VMS currently has 29 designated communities that are eligible to receive special consulting services, grants and training in their efforts to improve their respective downtowns.  The Main Street program was developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980, currently managed by its subsidiary, National Main Street Center.  More than 1,700 communities in 46 states participate in the program utilizing its registered “Main Street Four-Point Approach” for downtown revitalization and preservation.