Beardstown, IL – Beardstown's restored Opera House will become the keystone for the town's effort to become an Illinois Main street Community.
Dr. Hal Fisher heads the town's Heritage Preservation Foundation. He says the Opera House ties in well with the Main Street program, which emphasizes preservation of a town's heritage and buildings.
Fisher says the Opera House has recently added the plaque identifying it as being on the National Register of Historic Places.
He says the 135-year old building will be a focus of efforts to become a Main Street Communitiy. He says such a listing would offer state help with downtown re-development.
To get the designation, he says the group will have to form a non-profit corporation. It must also train volunteers in business development and historic preservation.