Clarkesville now has outdoor speakers in four downtown area locations, including along Washington Street. The speakers are programmed to play music from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. daily.
The next time you find yourself on Clarkesville’s downtown square, stop and listen.
Clarkesville Main Street, in partnership with the Clarkesville Business & Community Association (CBCA) recently launched its long-awaited outdoor music system “Street Sounds” with a mix of easy listening tunes from wireless speakers rigged at four locations throughout downtown.
“We brought in the music to create an ambience and energize the downtown,” says Clarkesville Main Street Manager Mary Beth Horton. “We have programmed it to be on every day.”
Street Sounds consists of a 900 MHz wireless radio, an internal 70 watt 2-channel audio amplifier, weatherproof speakers, and mounting brackets designed for simple mounting to a street-light or traffic-light pole. The system is already in place in other municipalities, including Laurens, SC, Smyrna, GA and Franklin, KY.
“We are still new to this – but so far, it’s getting a lot of attention and compliments, and we are pleased!”
The City tested the Street Sounds demo during the Christmas season and city leaders say the response from the community was overwhelming. “Business owners remarked how nice the holiday music was and asked if we could do this year-round,” says Clarkesville Mayor Barrie Aycock.
The speakers are programmed to play from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. every day. Speaker locations include the downtown gazebo, Greene Plaza, the west side of downtown square and along Washington Street.
Street Sounds was made possible through a partnership with Clarkesville Main Street and the CBCA. The CBCA used proceeds from the 2016 Taste of Clarkesville to help fund the outdoor speaker system.
“We were thrilled to designate StreetSounds as our 2017 Community Gift because it will benefit our businesses and visitors alike,” says CBCA Treasurer Sherry Callahan.
Horton says the plan is to “change up” the music a little bit throughout the year- adding seasonal tunes and hopefully even some local music. She adds, “We are still new to this – but so far, it’s getting a lot of attention and compliments, and we are pleased!”
