Downtown Goshen, Inc. to present Oct. 14 Afternoon Sabbatical about changes to the city

Lecture: Afternoon Sabbatical: "Goshen – A City on the Go" by Eric Kanagy and others
Date and time: Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m.
Location: Sauder Concert Hall, Goshen College Music Center
Cost: free and open to the public

GOSHEN, Ind. – President of Downtown Goshen, Inc. Eric Kanagy, along with fellow board members Gina Leichty, Julia Gautsche and Earlene Nofziger, will present an Afternoon Sabbatical about the history of downtown Goshen and the growth of startup businesses on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m. at Goshen College in the Music Center's Sauder Concert Hall. The presentation is free and open to the public.

The presentation, "Goshen – A City on the Go," will give an up-to-date look at what is happening in Goshen's historic downtown. It will focus on the ongoing economic, social and cultural revitalization of the downtown, and its impact on the broader community. From the facade program to First Fridays to entrepreneurial vision, Goshen is "a city on go" being talked about throughout Michiana. Gina Leichty is the director of First Fridays, Julia Gautsche is the facade program director and Earlene Nofziger is president of Goshen Historical Society.

"[Downtown Goshen] is a place that's on the go – every year, new businesses pop up, buildings are renovated and restored, and events draw thousands of visitors. Walking around on a Friday evening there are lots of people on the streets – interestingly enough, much like the downtown Goshen of the early 1900s," said Kanagy, a 2003 Goshen College graduate. "Most people don't realize that at the turn of the last century, on the weekends, stores in the basements and first floors of downtown buildings were open until midnight, as farmers could only do their shopping on weekends. The Goshen Theater also attracted major vaudeville acts on their way from New York to Chicago along the Lincoln Highway."

Kanagy is the CEO of a start up company, located in downtown Goshen, called RedPost. And he is excited about the growing number of young, creative entrepreneurs in downtown Goshen.

"My software startup, RedPost, is in a building downtown with an energy startup and a new bookstore, the first retail location run by startup Internet retailer BetterWorld Books. And that's just my building," Kanagy said. "There are many young entrepreneurs throughout the downtown mixed in with the entrepreneurs who have been here in some cases for multiple generations. It's what keeps me in Goshen; the fact that there are lots of creative people, young and old, taking risks and trying new things."

–By Tyler Falk

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college's Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron's Best Buys in Education, "Colleges of Distinction," "Making a Difference College Guide" and U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges" edition, which named Goshen a "least debt college." Visit www.goshen.edu.