Roburt Kickler was recently appointed the new executive director for Historic Downtown Tappahannock.
Historic Downtown Tappahannock (formerly Tappahannock Main Street) is under the leadership of a new executive director.
Roburt Kickler recently assumed the role from Beth Sharpe who departed for a position with Fitzgerald Enterprises.
While he grew up just outside of Richmond, Kickler has been familiar with Tappahannock since the 1970s when his uncle, Jimmy, was employed by the Essex County Sheriff’s Office.
“I’ve kind of grown up both visiting and vacationing here,” said Kickler who owns a unit at the Riverside Condominiums in Tappahannock. “This has been like my homeaway from-home and has been since I was a kid.”
About a year ago, Kickler began volunteering with Historic Downtown Tappahannock and took over the organization’s executive directorship earlier this month.
Kickler is a University of Richmond graduate with a degree in Information Systems, and later worked with Capital One and Land America Financial before retirement.
“This is a great opportunity,” he said. “We’re going to take the breadth of where we were by emphasizing the things we do well. We are here to help our existing businesses and bring new businesses here.”
One of the programs is the Farmers’ Market which opens its 2024 season on April 20.
“The Farmers’ Market is the core of our success and our hope is to put more emphasis on that while creating a more diverse customer base,” Kickler said.
He noted each market will feature special topics that he hopes will “make more people interested in attending.”
A new initiative launches April 19: Dining For Dollars. Participating eateries are in the 10-day promotion are Acme Ice Cream Parlor, 528 Prime Steak and Seafood, Java Jacks Café, NN Burger, 1710 Tavern, and To-Do Café.
“We’re really excited about this promotion,” Kickler says.
The promotion offers citizens a chance to win a $500 Downtown Dollars gift card. To be eligible for the gift card, patrons must check in on the Historic Downtown Tappahannock app on their smartphone while at any of the six restaurants. Earn one entry into the gift card drawing for each restaurant visited (one entry maximum per location).
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