There is something special about Farmville’s downtown area. This is obvious just from a tour of it that allows one to soak up its pleasant small-town atmosphere and historic nature. It is also obvious something special is going on here because of the existence of the Farmville Downtown Partnership (FDP).

The partnership consists almost entirely of volunteers dedicated to invigorating the historic heart of Farmville in a variety of ways.

It is remarkable and admirable that people are using their time to achieve such a goal, and the dedication involved is significant.

The Virginia Main Street Program, which is run by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, recently honored the FDP for having accumulated 15,000 volunteer hours since the partnership’s founding in 2011.

FDP Program Manager John Burton noted the partnership has about 35 steady volunteers right now, with another 30 or so who volunteer once a year to help out with certain events.

The FDP has four committees serving the community.

“We’ve got a great community of people and some really talented folks,” FDP President John Miller said.

Overall, the partnership seeks to help strengthen the appreciation long-term residents have for the downtown area, while inspiring that same appreciation in short-term residents, convincing them to put down roots here.

TITUS MOHLER is sports editor of The Farmville Herald. His email address is titus.mohler@farmvilleherald.com.