With the start of spring, and the refreshingly warm temperatures that come with it, the community will soon come alive with a new event in Downtown Clarkesville.
The first edition of Clarkesville Main Streets’ monthly community-building event, Friday Night Live, will take place on Friday, April 17th from 5-8pm. The theme is “Music on Main” and live entertainment will happen throughout the square and in several downtown eateries. Numerous downtown stores are also extending their hours for the evening. Mary Beth Horton, manager of the Clarkesville Main Street program, says the idea to bring a Friday night event to town came from folks in the community.
“People expressed an interest to do something fun and exciting ‘after hours’ that would entice others in the community to come downtown,” Horton says. “We looked at some of the other towns like Clayton and Sautee that have been doing monthly Friday events for several years now. It’s intended to be a great social occasion that drives traffic into downtown so people can enjoy all that Clarkesville has to offer.”
Music on Main, April’s Friday Night Live theme is a celebration of local musicians. “There are a tremendous number of budding musical artists in Habersham County,” explains Mat Fried, co-coordinator of the Music on Main event. “It’s nice to have an event that will give them some exposure, and hopefully serve as a springboard for future performances.”
People are encouraged to stroll throughout town, listening to the variety of live tunes, checking out the numerous retail shops and ducking inside one of the eateries to grab a bite and enjoy some music.
Music on Main April 17th Lineup
Mat and Ben Fried: Live @ the Gazebo 5-8PM
Gary York: Wild Berry Cottage 5:30-8PM
14 Roots: Harvest Habersham 5:30-7PM
Jimmy Scott: The Attic 4:30-7:30PM
Lisa Deaton: Harvest Habersham 7pm-9pm
Dylan Bertsch– Java Joes 5-8PM
Grant Street Music Room: Karaoke 8pm-11pm
Friday Night Live will take place on the third Friday of each month, April-September. Each month will have a theme. The end goal, Horton says, is for Friday Night Live to be something that community members recognize and look forward to.
“We’re hoping that the inaugural Friday Night Live is successful,” Horton remarked, “so that we can continue to build on it. That being said, we recognize that it’s going to take two or three years to have this really take hold and grow.”
Friday Night Live’s Music on Main kicks off at 5PM. For artist lineup and performance times, visit “City of Clarkesville” on Facebook or call 706-754-2220.
