Politics & Government

Downtown Farmington Press Corps Earns Top Main Street Honor

Volunteers who spread the news about downtown Farmington are making news with a county-wide May 4 award.

The people responsible for spreading the news about downtown Farmington are now making the news.

The Downtown Farmington Press Corps took top honors in the Outstanding Public Relations Effort award category during the May 4 Main Street Main Event, hosted by Main Street Oakland County.

“What an achievement for this tremendous team of volunteers,” Annette Knowles, (DDA) executive director said. “In just one year, the Press Corps progressed from being an idea to becoming recognized as a best practice.”

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Formed in late 2010 through the DDA’s Organization committee, the Press Corps is comprised of talented writers who compose articles about newsworthy downtown happenings. Current members are Pat Shelton, lead, and writers Melissa Andrade, MJ Hrutkay, Nancy Kilner, Tina Bozza and Jennifer Chinn.

Members of the Press Corps are involved in other writing projects, including producing the Main St. Messenger and other printed literature, including the monthly Farmington Farmers and Artisans Market newsletter. 

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In its inaugural year, the Press Corps completed more than a third of the media releases issued by the DDA, which topped 100 in 2011, Knowles said. Nearly all releases received local coverage.

After a year of documenting releases, the DDA now has a comprehensive timeline that will serve as a reference tool for writing articles in the future.

"I am so proud that in our first full year of existence this group of volunteer writers made a significant contribution in getting out the good news about Downtown Farmington,” Shelton said.

Writers interested in joining the team are encouraged to call the DDA office, 248-473-7276. 


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