Fairfield accepted into Connecticut Main Street accelerated program; team schedules coaching and site visits

Fairfield’s cultural-district advisory committee on Jan. 31 confirmed the town has been accepted into the Connecticut Main Street Accelerated Program and agreed to participate in a six-month cohort designed to produce a team-led marketing plan. Mary Alice and one other member said they would serve as the program backbone and encouraged other committee members to join coaching sessions and in-person visits as schedules permit.

Committee members said the program includes virtual coaching sessions and at least one in-person visit. The group reviewed available coaching dates and agreed multiple members could attend a session on Feb. 5 at 11 a.m.; they also identified March 27, March 30 and April 2 as possible dates for the in-person site visit. A May wrap-up session was listed as available on May 28 at 3 p.m.

The advisory committee described the program as a mixture of workshops and coaching intended to help towns build a marketing framework for their cultural districts and, potentially, secure funding to implement marketing pieces. Members emphasized the importance of coordinating accelerator work with regular meetings so the district team can perform “double duty” during some monthly meetings and avoid extra travel.

Committee leaders said team members will sign up for coaching and reported the state will send scheduling forms; they asked staff to circulate confirmed session sign-ups and to post official meeting notices and agendas whenever an advisory meeting will also serve as an accelerator session. The committee did not take a formal vote; next steps are to finalize which members will attend specific coaching sessions and to incorporate accelerator deadlines into future agendas.