It’s a simple slogan with a heartfelt message – Oil City’s Got Heart!
That’s the theme of an Oil City Main Street program designed to connect the community in a positive way during the coronavirus pandemic and business shutdowns.
The campaign encourages local businesses as well as residents to post paper or vinyl hearts in their windows. So far, numerous buildings and homes within Oil City are sporting the colorful hearts.
While the concept has been done in other communities across the U.S., Oil City’s promotion was tabbed “Oil City’s Got Heart” to personalize the promotion. The decorations are typically hearts of all sizes cut from colored paper.
“We wanted to put color out there. There is such a feeling out there that everything is closed, shut down, and this is a way of spreading some good vibes. And, it’s an easy way for businesses to engage. Plus, it doesn’t require a lot of art skills because the hearts can be simple or elaborate,” said Kathy Bailey, director of the Main Street Program.
There is no end-date for the heart campaign, said Armstrong.
“We’ll keep it going because I think the community is pleased with it,” he said. “We encourage everyone to join in.”
“We’re doing more and more of that to draw attention to our local businesses, such as retail and takeout services. We list those businesses and try to promote them,” he said.
The emphasis, too, is on providing resources ranging from federal and state assistance programs for businesses to daily menus from local restaurants.
“We want to help and that goes from the positive messaging like the Oil City’s Got Heart project to providing guidance in this reopening phase,” said Bailey. “We want our town to be connected.”
