From Bike Rally Buzz to Blooming Downtown
As this edition lands in your hands, downtown DeLand is still glowing from an incredible Bike Rally weekend. What a sight. What a SOUND! The energy, the music, the chrome, and the steady hum of engines rolling through our historic streets made for a vibrant and memorable Rally.
While Daytona Beach Bike Week continues this week, there’s something uniquely special about experiencing it right here at home. Our local merchants welcomed visitors with open doors, full patios, live entertainment, and that signature DeLand hospitality. Our hotels are still full, restaurants bustling, and our small businesses enjoying the kind of economic impact that reminds us exactly why events matter. To everyone who came out... whether on two wheels or two feet ... thank you for supporting downtown.
But we’re not slowing down!
Right now, families are fluttering through downtown in search of Molly the Monarch! Our Molly the Monarch Scavenger Hunt has transformed downtown into an interactive adventure. Kids (and let’s be honest, plenty of adults) are exploring shops, learning about monarch butterflies, and discovering new favorite businesses along the way. It’s a beautiful reminder that downtown is a place we can experience together. Plus, we have some pretty cool prizes for the winners at the end of the month!
Next up: one of spring’s most beloved traditions: the Florida Wildflower & Garden Festival! This event celebrates natural Florida with native plants, gardening experts, educational speakers, artisan vendors, and hands-on activities for all ages. It’s colorful, it’s lively, and it showcases our community’s deep appreciation for sustainability and natural beauty. If you’ve never attended, this is the year to mark your calendar. Downtown will be blooming in every sense of the word.
And while we’re enjoying spring, we’re already preparing your taste buds for April’s favorite culinary event: Taste of DeLand. Soon, we’ll be announcing the official date of this annual celebration of our local restaurants and eateries. My favorite thing about this event is that it brings the very best flavors of downtown together in one delicious afternoon. From savory bites to sweet treats, Taste of DeLand is a showcase of the creativity and talent that make our dining scene exceptional. Ticket information will be announced soon, and this event is popular!
All of these events — Bike Rally, Molly the Monarch, Wildflower & Garden Festival, Taste of DeLand — don’t just happen. They’re the result of careful planning, partnership, sponsorship, and a whole lot of volunteer energy. MainStreet DeLand Association works year-round to strengthen our historic downtown through economic vitality, preservation and design, promotion, and organization. Events are just one piece of a much larger effort to keep downtown preserved and thriving.
If you’ve ever said, “I love downtown,” here are a few ways to turn that love into action:
Volunteer. Whether it’s helping at a festival, assisting with set-up, or serving on a committee, volunteers are the heartbeat of MainStreet.
Become a member. Membership investments directly support beautification, business support initiatives, marketing, and events.
Sponsor an event. Sponsorship puts your business front and center while demonstrating your commitment to the community.
Donate. Contributions of any size help us continue enhancing downtown’s vibrancy and preserving its historic charm.
Downtown doesn’t thrive by accident. It thrives because people choose to invest their time, talent, and treasure into keeping it strong.
As we move into a season full of activity, I invite you to participate. Attend an event, bring a friend, explore a new shop, and consider how you might support the organization working behind the scenes to make it all happen.
Spring in downtown DeLand is something special.
I’ll see you Downtown.
Stephanie Garcia Mullins
Executive Director
MainStreet DeLand Association