NEENAH, Wis. — Bill Casper and the Hang Up Gallery have been part of downtown Neenah since 1970.
The business gives local and young artists a place to show and sell their work. It also frames and restores art for a wide range of customers.
Casper has seen the city evolve over the past 50 years.
“It’s, of course, changed a lot,” he said. “There’s lots of growth all the time. New businesses, new homes, new people. Lots of people coming to the area. It’s quite the vibrant area.”
That happens, Casper said, through a mix of public and private work.
“It’s a group effort. Lots of things have happened, and it’s not just a dying downtown like many communities have had to face,” he said. “We’ve had help from the state and the planning departments. They’ve done a fantastic job. Of course, you need the support of the community and the customers in order for things to happen. It’s not just ideas, it does take the support, and it’s been there, and it’s been wonderful to watch.”
Future Neenah has been part of that evolution over the past 40 years. It launched in the spring of 1983 years ago and serves as an organization promoting both the cultural and economic vitality of the city.
Assistant Executive Director Sara Hanneman said Future Neenah is the outgrowth of a grassroots community effort.
“There was a group of concerned citizens who had gotten together, and they felt like downtown Neenah could do better,” she said. “They worked really hard, and they got grants and sponsorships and did fundraising. They worked towards retention and recruitment, but they also worked towards cityscape improvements like lampposts and benches and trees and all sorts of beautification. That all gelled and came together and created a better home for downtown Neenah and a destination and place people wanted to be.”
That’s the work Future Neenah is carrying on today. It includes linking other districts of the community to the city center.
“So, we have that 24/7, live, work, play, entertain, shop and to all around make us a place to be,” Hanneman said.
Casper said 53 years later, he’s optimistic about where Neenah is heading.
“When you’ve got the support of the community, when you’ve got business owners who are in it for the long haul and you’ve got property owners who care about their property and maintaining it, you’ve got lots of good things going,” he said.