Ubben posthumously receives "Spirit of Main Street" award

Longtime former Conrad Chamber-Main Street Director Darla Ubben’s work and her mission have lived on since her untimely passing in December, and she was recognized for her tireless efforts at the state convention on April 13 with the “Spirit of Main Street” award.
           
“It was the last thing they did, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place,” Conrad Mayor Jeff Martin said. “It was very special.”
           
According to a press release, the award spotlights a person, organization, community or project that demonstrates the spirit of “Main Street at Work” in Iowa through innovation, support and commitment to economic development within the context of historic preservation.
           
“It was a very big honor to receive that, and it’s a really big honor that the Main Street society sees the spirit that Darla had. We all knew it,” current director Krista Grant said.  “There was a standing ovation, and there was not one person sitting… It was very humbling for us.”
           
Ubben, who battled cancer for over a year before her death at the age of 46, spearheaded a $500,000 Main Street renovation project in Conrad in 2013 and 2014 and worked on several other community development initiatives, including the construction of a business park on the east edge of town and the creation of a downtown mural at the intersection of Center and Main.
           
Martin attended along with the Ubben family, Grant, C-MS board members and their spouses, and he reflected on Ubben’s impact by noting how many representatives from around the state remembered her, shared memories of her and received guidance in their early days.
           
“I can tell you from being down there and talking to people from all over the state, everyone admired her,” he said. “She knew everybody, and she supported everybody. Several people came up and said how helpful she was.” 
 
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