Shop downtown Newport for the holidays and enter to win $100 in Downtown Dollars

NEWPORT — People visiting downtown Newport to shop or eat this month are being offered a raffle card for the Shop Downtown Newport Holiday Raffle.

The raffle is part of new energy emerging downtown as businesses are coming together and working with Newport City Downtown Development.

The group has begun meeting together weekly to plan shared events and develop promotional strategies.

On Saturday, December 18, Newport City Downtown Development will hold a drawing on Facebook Live to pick the five winners of the Shop Downtown Newport for the Holidays Raffle.

Community Engagement Specialist for NCDD Rick Ufford-Chase is excited about the upcoming raffle.

“You just shop in three businesses in Downtown Newport or the Waterfront Plaza, and you can enter to be one of five people who will win $100 in Downtown Dollars, which are spent just like cash,” Ufford-Chase said.

If you haven’t made it downtown just yet, don’t worry, there is still time to participate.

Just drop into a downtown or Waterfront Plaza business, make a purchase of $20 or more, and ask for a card.

Add two more signatures to the card in other businesses and you can leave your card with the merchant to be picked up for Saturday’s drawing.

Downtown Dollars can be spent just like cash.

The raffle is just one of many ideas that have been born through this new pulling together of Newport City businesses and NCDD.

“There is excitement building about how we can all work together,” Casey Baraw, owner of Inspired Yoga on Main Street, said as she reflected on her experience co-chairing the weekly Downtown Business meetings. “It feels like there’s a growing sense of energy as we look toward 2022.

Ufford-Chase says he is also looking forward to sharing more upcoming events downtown.

“Watch for Hot Cocoa Saturday the last weekend of every month this winter,” he said. “Businesses will be working together to make downtown Newport and the Waterfront Plaza the happening place to be for families and people of all ages.”

Be sure to check out NCDD’s new website at https://www.discovernewportvt.com/ to learn more.