During 2025’s Holiday Market on Main Street in Muncy, snow flakes fell creating a perfect seasonal ambiance.

It was nature’s contribution to the quaint atmosphere of the market – a pedestrian-focused and vendor sales activity that heightens the Christmas and holiday spirit in this historic community in eastern Lycoming County.

Other than the perfectly-timed snow flakes, such fun and festivity in the borough’s charming downtown doesn’t happen by writing Santa a wish list.

Truth is, it takes hard work, planning, determination and coordination by officials with the now two-year-old Downtown Muncy Inc. (DMI), a non-profit service organization.

“Our mission is to support business growth, preserve historic architecture, and expand recreation,” said J. Tyler Thompson, Bradley Clayton and Janessa Mitterling, three members of the organization’s event committee. The trio sat down recently with the Sun-Gazette news staff to describe plans for an upcoming community dinner tentatively planned for Jan. 19 at Basil, 213 N. Main St., and give those wondering what the initials DMI stands for more insight into the workings of the nonprofit organization.

What makes DMI click?

The community events committee has a major role in that effort.

“The three of us work really well together because we all bring something unique and different to the table,” Mitterling said.

“Tyler is very good at the political side of things and ensuring all the i’s that need to be dotted are and t’s are crossed,” she said. “Bradley is very good at business networking and communicating with business vendors and their needs and he is definitely the happy face of every event like everyone knows who they are going to and I work a lot with the other service organizations.” “It all works together.”

“We’re a nonprofit service – independent from local government but collaborative by design,” Thompson said.

When asked where the funding for the nonprofit is derived and how it is used, the team explained how it comes primarily from donations, sponsorships, and event proceeds – all of it reinvested into programming, marketing, beautification, and community initiatives.

Partnerships are first and foremost a key to making sure events go off without too many hitches.

Such cooperation is sought through visiting with borough staff, borough council, reaching out to Muncy School District, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Lycoming College, service and civic organizations, other nonprofits, and the businesses and merchants.

These alliances are helping to solve practical needs for the organization, such as obtaining necessary permits from the state Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the borough, for any necessary road closures, and inviting more student engagement and participation among those who might feel interested in joining DMI and contributing their time, talent and experience.

Rebranding and establishing an identity

Organized as a 501 C3, DMI is “careful about our identity,” Thompson said.

Neither a business association nor a chamber of commerce, DMI’s purpose and mission statement are no secret.

“We want economic vitality and businesses are a part of that but it is also about community development,” Thompson said.