Some of Elizabethton’s more popular attractions are in line to get a little bit of tender loving care in the coming months.
The office of State Senator Rusty Crowe (R  – Johnson City) announced Wednesday the Elizabethton Arts & Cultural Alliance (ElizAlliance) would receive a granting totaling $6,1000 from the Tennessee Arts Commission to benefit various projects going on in the city.
“This gives us a new start on different projects we’ve been working on,” Robert Benfield, with the Alliance, told the Elizabethton Star Wednesday. “It’s very exciting. There’s been a lot of work put in by different people and a lot of support from different areas.”
Sen. Crowe issued a statement to the Elizabethton Star commending the efforts of the Alliance.
“Congratulations to the Elizabethton Arts and Cultural Alliance for securing this grant. I applaud the Alliance’s dedication to not only preserving Carter County’s history but also to developing new and creative ways for our community to experience art and culture,” the statement read.
With the grant, the community can focus on upgrading the Historic Downtown Elizabethton Walking Tour, create four dioramas, hire artists to perform at the Downtown Elizabethton Farmers Market and continue work on the downtown breezeways, one near Jiggy Ray’s and the other between Sweetsie Treats and the Coffee Company.
Benfield added the upgrades to the walking trail include new signs for each of the 30 locations on the tour. ElizAlliance is partnering with the Carter County Tourism Council and students from Elizabethton High on the project.
Downtown was able to celebrate another piece of beautification last week with the first of six mosaics being installed at the Sweetsie/Coffee Company breezeway. Artists from Blue River Studio, also located downtown, handled the work of the decorative piece while downtown merchants were able to celebrate the work already accomplished at the location. Trees were planted to go along with the different tables that were placed in the area. Work is also expected to take place at the “Betsy Breezeway” near Jiggy Ray’s in the near future.
“This investment in arts and culture offers all of us an enhanced quality of life, provides our children with a more complete education, stimulates economic development and helps attract tourists to our state,” added Crowe.