
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, September 16, 1994                   TAG: 9409160036
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-11   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY  
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: PULASKI                                LENGTH: Medium

MAIN STREET DOWNTOWN IN PULASKI WILL BE FILLED BY COUNT PULASKI DAY

Roscoe Cox will meet his long-time goal of filling every business building on the main downtown section of Main Street in time for Count Pulaski Day Oct. 15.

He told the Count Pulaski Day planning committee Thursday that a new restaurant, named Granny's, will occupy the premises which once housed Gaynelle's restaurant and then Sonny's, both of which closed.

A taxidermist studio will move into a Jefferson Street location just off Main, he said, and a print shop also will be opening.

"We do have every building on Main Street either sold, or people are moving in by Oct. 15," he said.

Cox became director of Pulaski's Main Street program about two years ago, and pushed the antiques, art and restaurant theme that brought new merchants to join those who had stayed on through the years when many downtown business buildings sat empty.

Although he stepped down as program director near the start of the year, he helped coordinate plans for the town's Depot Day dedication of its renovated train station June 11 and now has been asked by Mayor Andy Graham to help out on Count Pulaski Day.

Although observance of Count Pulaski Day goes back two decades, it had become a less prominent festival in recent years. This year, the downtown merchants took it on as a project, but were hampered at first by uncertainty of the extent of the town's financial support. The town now is providing about $15,000.

"We should go forward as a team," Cox said. "And this Count Pulaski festival is another way to bring this community together."

The merchants on the planning committee sent out more than 400 invitations to crafts people, who will be set up along Main Street and in Jackson Park. Debbie Jonas, owner of Colony of Virginia Ltd., had talked with people by telephone about festival activities so much in recent weeks that what remained of her voice was barely a whisper at Thursday's meeting,the last meeting of the full planning group.

The schedule of events is to be made final next week.

Memo: ***CORRECTION***

by CNB