FARMVILLE – If revitalization were a book, Downtown Farmville would be trying to get everyone on the same page.

A Revitalization Forum on Thursday at the Farmville Train Station, beginning at 5:15 p.m. with a half-hour meet-and-greet (free food and beverages), will pursue that goal. An informational meeting will follow at 5:45 p.m.

“We're trying to get all the business owners and building owners from downtown at the train station in one place at the same time,” Downtown Farmville co-chair, Dr. Charles Ross, explained, “really for a couple of purposes.

“First, so they understand what it is we're trying to do, the Downtown Farmville group. The second is really to find out what they need from us. And in conjunction with that, how can we all work together around big events. Right now,” he said, “it's very dis-coordinated, or uncoordinated.”

The Downtown Farmville group has been going to businesses and handing out fliers for this week's forum “to tell them how important it is that we get them there to hear their ideas and also to build a community of people downtown that are all working together in the same direction.”

If revitalization were a wind, Downtown Farmville would be trying to get all the breezes blowing toward the same point on the compass.

“That's the point of the meeting,” said Dr. Ross.

Business and building owners from downtown-and it extends beyond Main Street, as far as Downtown Farmville is concerned-will be asked what they need help with to strengthen business vitality.

And particularly about ways the businesses can work together around what Dr. Ross describes as the “big events” which occur throughout the year.

“What could we all do around Longwood's graduation? Around Heart of Virginia? Around holidays? Are there sidewalk sales? Are there discount coupon sheets we could all get on? Whatever,” he said. Or events, in the future, on High Bridge Trail State Park.

Many questions in search of a shared answer. That's what Thursday's forum is about-businesses exploring answers, and their questions, together.

“It's wide open to start the conversation going,” Dr. Ross said.

Business and building owners won't be told what to want by Downtown Farmville, which will be listening to what the business and building owners tell them they want from the organization.

Creating better relationships among those owners of downtown businesses and buildings is also an objective this week.

“To build a community of business owners and property owners that know each other,” he said, recalling a conversation with a business owner on one block of Main Street about a business owner on the next block of Main Street. “And they'd never even met each other.”

There is strength in numbers and, strength-wise, one is a lonely number.

“I think the more people interact…the more people can synergize their efforts” the better it will be, Dr. Ross said.

Any initiative, such as staying open late on a certain night of the week, for example, “doesn't work if one store stays open. We all have to be on the same wavelength.

“How do you build a stronger community downtown together and, specifically, how do we address big events and work together around them?” he summed up.

“So it's just to get the conversation going.”