Once home to a lively and bustling downtown corridor in earlier decades, with a town center adjacent to a now demolished railroad depot, the city of Elko, in rural Nevada, is moving forward on an ambitious revitalization project. The vision for the project is to creatively transform a central six-block long parking lot into pedestrian-friendly green space with commercial storefront renovation and public amenities. The Western Folklife Center (WFC), located in the center of the project zone in the historic Pioneer Hotel and home to the renowned National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, will anchor this first phase of the civic improvement agenda. WFC will produce new cultural programming resulting in increased foot traffic to the area and expand its presenting season with exhibits, workshops and installations that connect the interior of the gallery, saloon, and theatre to the street. Central to the project is the creation of ranch-and-reservation-relevant videos based on first-hand stories and poetry from the rural West rooted in the values of life on the land. The Western Folklife Center will help attract Elko citizens and visitors back to this downtown cultural hub while encouraging developers to reinvest and continue renovating in an improving historical downtown area.