Merrimac & Main began unofficially in May 2023 when a group of community members gathered in the Fellowship Hall of Plymouth Congregational UCC church in Dodgeville, asking what they would do with a big, beautiful, historic building in the heart of town.

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Using an asset-based community development model, we brainstormed ideas, shifting our mindset to one of possibilities and potential.

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By November, we launched a Community Open House, inviting neighbors to tour the building and join us in the creative visioning process. We earned our official nonprofit status in January, and hired a Building Coordinator on a very part-time basis to support with overall coordination. (The vast majority of our work is done by community volunteers!)

 

By February, we launched our very first Winter Lecture Series with a grant from the Community Foundation of South-Central Wisconsin, which brought people in from several counties away, engaging in important and time-relevant topics. We started offering pop-up middle school classes, teaching 5th-8th graders how to sew, cook, paint their pets, and fold origami. These classes had significant waitlists, and we could not have done this without a strong partnership with Dodgeville Middle School and the Dodgeville Public Library.

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In March, we offered a hands-on workshop and mentoring program to support Cottage Food Businesses in the area, through a grant from Prosperity Southwest. Several bakers and canners started selling their goods in the summer farmer's markets!

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During these first few months, we also held a story-telling event, weekly yoga classes, monthly Spanish Conversation group, a concert with Prairie Lights String Band, a Puzzle competition as part of Town Square and Farmer's Appreciation, an author talk with Bohdan Neswiacheny, a candle-lit solstice gathering, a series on meditation and philosophy, a clothing swap, a playgroup meet-up for little ones and their adults, an informational webinar on constitutional amendments... are we forgetting anything?!?

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The building has also been used as an artist studio, an office for a remote worker, and as a gathering space for private events.

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In Fall 2024, we are thrilled to announce an after-school program for Middle Schoolers (funded by the Schlecht Family Foundation and the United Fund of Iowa County), more classes and programs for adults, and a very special workshop from Braver Angels, helping us address the political divides within our own families.

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This beautiful building has such a rich history, and such enormous potential for more. We are excited about everything we've already done and all that comes next. This project has truly been a community effort. There are dozens and dozens of people who have volunteered their time, donated supplies and funds, helped get the word out, and shared their good ideas. Thank you, thank you, thank you. None of this would be possible without you.