When Peggy Kownack puts her mind to something, it normally gets done.

In this case, thanks to her efforts in proposing and gathering support for the plan, The Uptown Community Harvest Festival is a finalist for a $10,000 Pepsi Refresh Everything grant.

Peggy, known to many as The Dart Lady, writes the "Unique Perspective" blog on The Record's website. She is a native of Troy and a founding member of The Uptown Initiative. She really cares about this city and isn't shy about offering her ideas on how the Collar City should be revitalized.

Peggy worked hard to get support for the festival proposal, partnering with several other groups seeking funding so the festival proposal vote total would stay in the top 15 list of projects and be eligible for funding.

Among the groups she worked with was the Cohoes Music Hall, which successfully competed for a $25,000 grant.

As a finalist, the festival proposal must now go through a verification process, but Peggy is already making plans for the mid-October event.

Last year’s event featured free games, food and activities for children in the city’s North Central/Uptown neighborhood, but with the Pepsi funding, Peggy plans to open the festival to kids from all over the city.

Congratulations Peggy. Your proposal was right on target and we're proud of your efforts!