BIDDEFORD — The energy at the Sellam Circus School on Monday night was palpable at the Small Business Revolution welcoming event. Local business owners shouted “My Biddeford,” a rallying cry uniting those with the mission to promote their beloved city.

Local downtown revitalization group Heart of Biddeford was one of 12,000 organizations nationwide to apply to have their city or town featured in season four of the Hulu show “Small Business Revolution — Main Street.”

Biddeford was announced as one of the top 20 candidates in November, and thanks to community members sharing their favorite small businesses on social media with the hashtag #mybiddeford, Biddeford is now one of 10 municipalities in the running to be featured on the television show.

The eight-part series will air in the fall. Six small businesses from the winning community will be showcased on the show and will also receive a combined $500,000 from Deluxe Corporation.

The Small Business Revolution team traveled to Biddeford this week as part of the selection process for the next round of finalists.

Amanda Brinkman, chief brand officer of Deluxe Corporation and the host of “Small Business Revolution — Main Street,” received a warm reception Monday night at the welcoming event.

The primary focus of the Small Business Revolution isn’t about making a TV show, Brinkman said, but to inspire people to understand the importance of supporting small businesses.

“We do the entire Small Business Revolution because we wanted to and continue to want to drive a movement,” she said.  “If we support the businesses that make our town special, that makes all the difference.”

Brinkman took the time to speak with people individually at Monday night’s event and she and her crew planned to visit local businesses on Tuesday and chat with some of the city’s small business owners.

Five communities will be chosen next month in the next round of finalists, and the five towns and cities will face off in a one-week online voting contest. The community that receives the most votes will be featured on the show.

“It’s not like other reality shows, we don’t try to make people look silly. We’re truly there to help,” Brinkman said. “We really want you to feel seen in these stories.”

Mayor Alan Casavant said his grandparents came to Biddeford from Canada because there was opportunity there and something special about the city. He said that is still the case today, but the city has changed from the old mill town stereotype to something more vibrant and modern.

“We call it a Biddossance,” he said.

Casavant said there is a sense of pride in Biddeford, and a vitality and excitement brought about by small businesses and community groups that is spreading. The median age in Biddeford is 35, he said, the youngest in the state, and the median age in downtown Biddeford is 29.

Casavant said being chosen as one of the top 10 of 12,000 applicants says something about the community.

“Everybody says oh, my hometown is the greatest, but folks, there’s no place like Biddeford, Maine. It is the very greatest, in my humble opinion,” said Casavant.

Jackie Hardin said she and her partner, Bryan Casale opened their restaurant Yeto’s at 299 Main St. about 11 months ago.

“We like the sense of community here,” she said.

It was that sense of community that brought the couple to Biddeford, Hardin said. She said in Biddeford, businesses support each other and work together to promote the downtown.

“Biddeford is so unique — it’s an old mill town, a small city, a college town and a beach town. Not many places can say that,” said Renee Messier, owner of Trillium gift shop at 238 Main St. She said she felt fortunate to own a business in Biddeford, with a supportive business community and great people.

Brinkman said she too, was impressed by the supportive nature of the local business community, noting that when a business person spoke to her that evening, often, they would turn to the next business owner in line and introduce them.

As part of being in a top 10 finalist community, local small businesses are invited to take part in a free marketing seminar on May 6.

Even if a city or town doesn’t become the featured community on the show, Brinkman said, it’s important to maintain the momentum it’s created and continue to energetically promote itself and its small businesses.

The other communities being considered for the fourth season of the series are Arlington, Washington; Camas, Washington; Cañon City, Colorado; Corsicana, Texas; Durant, Oklahoma; the twin cities of Marinette, Wisconsin and Menominee, Michigan; Pageland, South Carolina; Searcy, Arkansas; and Washington, North Carolina.

For more information on Deluxe’s  Small Business Revolution, go to www.deluxe.com/sbrc/small-business-revolution.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 780-9015 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.

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