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Oklahoma Senate
Legislators encourage Oklahomans to vote for Durant in Small Business Revolution – Main Street
OKLAHOMA CITY – Durant natives, Sen. David Bullard and Rep. Dustin Roberts were thrilled Tuesday to learn that their community was named a Top 5 Finalist nationwide in the Small Business Revolution – Main Street competition. Citizens will have from February 12-19, 2019, to vote online for their favorite community and the finalist will win a $500,000 Main Street revitalization.
The legislators encouraged their fellow Oklahomans to help spread the word and vote as much as possible during the week.
“We’re so proud of Durant, the town leaders, business owners and citizens who rallied to get this far in the competition. It was no easy feat and our work isn’t done,” said Bullard, R-Durant. “This would be an incredible opportunity to continue to grow our local economy and downtown businesses. We humbly ask our fellow Oklahomans to support Durant in casting as many votes as possible in the next week,”
Citizens can vote at MyDurant.com/Vote once daily from each device using a different email address. The winning town will be announced at the end of February and their downtown revitalization will be featured on Season 4 of Small Business Revolution – Main Street hosted by Amanda Brinkman of Deluxe and Ty Pennington on Hulu. The competition
“I’ve always known Durant was special, which is why I wanted our kids raised here just like I was. We are so excited at the possibility of sharing our historic community and southern charm with the world,” said Roberts, R-Durant. “We hope Oklahomans will join us in voting as we race to become the next Small Business Revolution.”
Durant Main Street Executive Director Stephanie Gardner said she was proud of how the community came together to improve their downtown and hopes Durant wins so they continue their efforts.
“Durant is thrilled to have been named one of the five finalist towns competing for The Small Business Revolution Season 4. We know our community is invested in bettering our city and our small businesses and has shown how hard we’re willing to work together,” said Gardner. “A $500,000 makeover and the publicity that the show would provide to us would be priceless. However, we’ve already counted this experience as a success because of the community pride and momentum it has created. Regardless of what happens, Durant is just getting started.”
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If Durant wins the competition, REI has agreed to match the $500,000 prize to help the town make even more improvements.
In the early days, Durant was a relay station on the Butterfield Overland Mail, with the first land mail service between the Mississippi Valley and the Pacific Coast. The town was named after Dixon Durant who came to the area with his Choctaw-French family by way of the Trail of Tears in 1832 during the relocation of the Indians to Southeastern Oklahoma, which was part of the Choctaw Nation. The community is now the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation.
Durant is often referred to as the “Queen of the Three Valleys” because of its location in the fertile bottom lands of the Red, Blue and Washita Rivers. The township was officially established in 1879 with the authorization of a Post Office for “Durant Station”. In 1900, Durant had a population of nearly 3,000 but today it is home to more than 16,000 citizens and is an economic center of southeastern Oklahoma.
