One Year Anniversary
What have we done in 2024?
Merrimac & Main began in summer 2023 in a church basement.
We were just a group of people who came together and asked, "What can we do with this beautiful building?"
The Plymouth UCC church was built in 1907. It is right behind the courthouse parking lot, a block or two from the coffee shop, the library, restaurants, the movie theater, the ADRC. It is a big, beautiful building with wood floor, great lighting, and magnificent stained glass. This building sat empty most of the week.
In November 2023, we had an Open House. We asked the community for their ideas - people had some great suggestions, like art classes, lectures, a ping-pong table, a senior program, a space for little ones, and so much more.
We created our own nonprofit, and launched in full force. There was no time to lose! We all agreed - Dodgeville needed a place where people could connect, create, learn, grow, heal, & inspire together, and this could be the perfect place.
Thanks to some early donations and generous grants, we launched a winter lecture series. Speakers talked to us about Labor/The Economy, Israel/Palestine, School Funding, and Climate Change. People joined us from Sauk, Grant, Lafayette, Dane, and Milwaukee counties! We sent thank-you cards to local teachers and used local restaurants for catering.
With the help of the Dodgeville Library and Dodgeville Middle School, along with many volunteers, we started a pop-up middle school program. We had waitlists for almost every one! This fall, we were able to start a weekly after-school program. It is totally free for students in grades 5-8. Their laughter echoes through the building and fills it up with life and energy!
We have an incredible kitchen with commercial ovens and expansive counterspace. In addition to using this for private events and kids cooking classes, we also worked with the Ridgeway Farmer's Market and Prosperity Southwest to develop a workshop and mentoring program to help people sell their own baked and canned goods, called a "Cottage Food Business." Several people started selling their goods this summer at local farmer's markets!
In addition to everything else, we've also used this building for:
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A recovery social group that meets twice a month! It's a fun, connecting space led by peers in recovery who get it
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A playgroup for little ones and their adults, so kids can play indoors in a new space and their big humans can connect too
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An International Potluck! People brought home-cooked dishes from 18 different countries! We had such a great time learning about each other's countries of origins & extensive travels.
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Classes and programs for adults, including a Leather-Earring class, Halloween Cookie decorating, a bimontly gathering about embracing your spirit, and an upcoming Paint & Sip
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A monthly Spanish conversation group! A group gets together just to practice their spanish with one another.
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Yoga every week, and sometimes more!
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A cozy storytelling night about "Dodgeville's Greatest Love Stories"
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A bluegrass / country concert!
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American Red Cross Blood Drive
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Two clothing swaps!
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A very sweet Solstice gathering featuring local musicians
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Private events, including birthday parties, holiday events, meetings, private cooking and art classes, and more
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A local artist currently uses one room as her studio, and a nonprofit professional uses a room for all her zoom calls!
We just received funding to start a Senior Program! We are planning to launch this in early 2025, and are so grateful for all the help and support already from the local ADRC, Library, SUN Program, and more. Stay tuned!
Dodgeville is a "purple" community - we're pretty evenly divided politically. With the election in sight, we wanted to figure out how to encourage connection. We brought in Braver Angels, a national organization, to lead a workshop about "Families and Politics". We were all very challenged and learned a lot about how to navigate the political divide with our loved ones!
Want to be part of this experiment?
We are a community-led and community-centered space. Your voice matters.
Right now, we are in the middle of our first-ever fundraising effort. $13 pays for a month of our newsletter subscription. $30 covers snacks for one week of the Middle School Program. $100 allows us to offer more adult classes. $500 pays for one or two experts for our lecture series. Donations of ANY amount are helpful.
If funding is tight now, we absolutely understand. You can also help by signing up for our newsletter and inviting your friends & neighbors to come to our events with you! If you have an idea, let's talk about making it happen. We often need volunteer help for events & programs, and are grateful to just get a little email of encouragement! Contact us any time at merrimacmain@gmail.com.
