Downtown Sun Prairie Earns Main Street Designation from State of Wisconsin

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 20, 2025
Mary D’Amico
Sun Prairie BID Manager                                                                             
mdamico@cityofsunprairie.com
608-512-9743
 

The Downtown Sun Prairie Business Improvement District (BID) has been accepted into the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC)’s Main Street Program, joining a select group of communities that have demonstrated a sustained commitment to revitalizing their commercial districts.

“Strong, thriving communities are what make Wisconsin a great place for people to live, work, grow, and do business,” said Missy Hughes, secretary and CEO of WEDC. “WEDC congratulates Sun Prairie and Green Lake for their commitment to successful community development.”

“I wanted to take this opportunity to formally welcome you into the group,” said WEDC Senior Director of Downtown Development Errin Welty, who attended the Aug. 12 Main Street announcement event held at The Loft at 132 in downtown Sun Prairie. “It's a great network of people who love downtown, and there's a lot of great ones.”

“This designation is a huge milestone for Downtown Sun Prairie,” said Adam Bougie, Board Chair of the Sun Prairie BID. “It reflects the hard work and dedication of our business owners, volunteers, and community partners who continue to invest their time and passion into making our downtown vibrant and welcoming. With the support of the Main Street Program, we’re excited to strengthen our district, diversify our business mix, and build on the strong foundation already in place.”

The Sun Prairie BID joined the Connect Communities in 2020 as part of their recovery plan after a 2018 natural gas explosion destroyed several downtown properties. The Downtown Sun Prairie BID group is recognized for its numerous local events and extensive public art and streetscape initiatives and this summer held a new public arts festival honoring former resident Georgia O’Keeffe. Joining the Main Street program provides the opportunity to pursue new and diverse funding sources and to expand business retention and recruitment efforts in the growing district.

Administered by WEDC, the Wisconsin Main Street Program is a comprehensive revitalization program designed to promote the historic and economic redevelopment of traditional business districts in Wisconsin. It is part of a nationwide program of the National Main Street Center.

After a thorough application and review process, WEDC selects up to three communities annually to join the program. The 34 communities already participating in the program receive technical support and training needed to ensure that their downtown districts continue to thrive as centers of community activity and commerce.

Since the program’s inception in 1988, Wisconsin Main Street communities have created nearly 3,500 net new businesses and over 17,000 net new jobs. Main Street communities in Wisconsin also have generated more than $3 billion in public and private investment in this time and are collectively renovating more than 250 buildings per year statewide.

Learn more about Downtown Sun Prairie online at DowntownSunPrairieWI.com; or, follow Downtown Sun Prairie on Facebook or Instagram.

About City of Sun Prairie
Sun Prairie is a vibrant and thriving community located in northeastern Dane County, just east of the City of Madison. The City of Sun Prairie has experienced strong population growth since its incorporation from a village to a city in 1958, undergoing a transformation from a relatively small community of less than 4,000 to an estimated 39,419 today.