First Fridays to resume in downtown Mount Vernon

MOUNT VERNON – First Fridays are back this summer.

The popular event on the downtown square will resume from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on June 4, said Main Street Mount Vernon (MSMV), the nonprofit group sponsoring the festival. The weekly summer events were canceled last year due to COVID-19.

For the reopening, Main Street joins Riverside Recovery Services in welcoming guests back to the beautiful Central Business District, according to a MSMV press release. Local talent will be featured on the Main Stage, now located at South Main Plaza, as well as on the Happy Street Bru-Werks Stage in the COTC Parking lot.

The June 4 event will be the first large-scale downtown happening since the pandemic began, said Anthony McNeal, Main Street Mount Vernon’s downtown manager.

“We’re very excited to be able to do First Fridays this summer,” he told the Mount Vernon News.

The festival will continue every first Friday of the month for the rest of the summer, with July 2, Aug. 6 and Sept. 3 dates scheduled. It will include live local bands, food trucks and vendors.

“Traffic will be closed one block north of Public Square, around the Square and on South Main Street down to the Ohio Avenue starting at 4:30 p.m.,” the group said on its website.

Organizers will comply with all COVID-19 safety regulations, McNeal said.

“With an event that will likely draw a larger crowd, we encourage community members and visitors alike to stay up to date on the mandates and visit a First Friday when you are comfortable to do so,” the organization said.

Even if there are no state mask requirements in place at the time of the festival, individual businesses downtown may ask that customers wear masks, McNeal noted.

“Just like ‘no shoes, no shirt, no service,’ if the business is asking you to wear a mask, we ask that you comply,” he said.

Downtown merchants in particular are looking forward to the return of First Fridays after a rough year.

“We lost a few merchants (during the pandemic),” McNeal said. “We were very sad that they weren’t able to make it through. But we do have a great core of merchants that were able to keep their doors open. Of course, some of them had to adjust their times or their staffing.”

At one point during the pandemic, there were 22 open spaces downtown, he said.

“But in the last six to eight weeks, we’ve seen eight to 10 businesses open their doors,” McNeal said. “They’re at least starting to renovate their space. We’re turning the corner here at what hopefully is the tail end of this pandemic.”

The Knox County Convention and Visitors Bureau also expressed excitement that First Fridays are back.

“First Fridays serve our community and provide an opportunity to showcase our beautiful downtown,” said Olivia Toth, marketing director and Main Street Mount Vernon board member. “They also offer outside guests another reason to visit Knox County. The support that the Main Street program offers to downtown businesses is another reason we continue to see tourism growth in this area in the way of restaurants, shops and other businesses.”

More about the events

Sponsored by A+ Auto Broker, the Cruise-In returns to Public Square. Main Street is asking for a $10 donation from participating cars to continue to keep First Fridays as a FREE community event.  Each donation will receive a free dash plaque commemorating the Cruise-In, and proceeds will benefit the initiatives of Main Street Mount Vernon to continue to better our downtown.   

Concepts in Community Living partners with Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities and MVNU Cougar Athletics to present the BAM! Activity Zone with activities for all ages and abilities. Ohio Youth Basketball presents Touch-A-Truck in association with Mount Vernon Police and Fire Departments.

The Knox Foodies Food Truck Trail will highlight local flavors and community favorites.

Fifty vendors are set to line Main Street from Vine to Ohio and, for the first time, they can sell their goods.

While you are downtown, stop in to check out a wide variety of merchants from retail to restaurants to crafts and art.

Main Street thanks Riverside Recovery Services for their support of First Fridays. For more information about their services go to riversiderecovery.rehab.

To find out how you can be involved with a Main Street Mount Vernon event or project, contact Downtown Manager Anthony McNeal at 740-393-1481.