MOUNT VERNON – The First Friday season continues with August First Friday. Experience Mount Vernon invites community members and visitors alike to the Central Business District of Mount Vernon for the Dog Days of Summer event.
Food, live music and four-legged fun "fur" all during the 2022 First Friday season. From 6-9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 5, Griffin Insurance joins Experience Mount Vernon to present the August First Friday. Canine companions welcome.
Experience Mount Vernon will partner with the Mount Vernon Arts Consortium (MVAC) to present the First Friday Concert Series. The series will be featured on the Main Stage between Park National Bank and PNC Bank facing Public Square.
Sponsored by Knox Community Hospital and Central Ohio Technical College, the series will feature The Floorwalkers at August’s event. This Ohio-grown rock and soul band is one of Central Ohio’s up-and-coming groups and will look to bring a mix of high energy and good vibes to the stage.
A+ Autobrokers returns as the sponsor of the First Friday Cruise-Ins to keep the events free. Experience Mount Vernon has worked closely with several members of the local car enthusiast community to formulate a plan for this year. Cars should arrive no earlier than 4:30 p.m. when streets will begin shutting down and no later than 6 p.m. when the streets will be fully closed to traffic. Check experiencemv.org for more details on the cruise-in.
The WNZR Dog Days of Summer Dog Costume Parade returns to First Friday. Community members are invited to enter their doggos into the parade for the chance to win one of three awards. Registration will be located on Public Square just south of the monument and will be available from 6:30-7:10 p.m. The parade will begin at 7:15 p.m. and will flow from the Square down South Main Street to South Main Plaza. Judges will conduct their review and give awards to the most creative costume, best in show, and the dog that the judges most want to take home. Any dogs not wanting to be judged may exit the parade once they make it to South Main Plaza.
The Activity Zone presented by New Directions, MVNU Athletics, PAKUnited and YMCA of Mount Vernon has moved to South Main Street between Gambier and Ohio. August will feature several new activities never before seen at First Friday. Take a chance at “Dunking A Dignitary” during August. Participants will have the opportunity to drop Mayor Matt Starr, Downtown Manager Anthony McNeal and a few other surprise guests in the dunk tank. Also featured in the zone is the Edward Jones of Mount Vernon Touch-A-Truck. Swing by the South Main and Ohio Avenue intersection for a picture with local law enforcement representatives.
New to First Fridays for the 2022 season is the Community Corner presented by New Directions, Flapper Bar & Grille, PNC Bank & The Woodward Opera House. Located on West Gambier Street at the South Main Plaza, the Community Corner will feature local organizations promoting their events and previewing what is coming to Downtown Mount Vernon. Tavaci takes to the stage to show off their hard work starting at 6:30 p.m., followed by the judging of the WNZR Dog Days of Summer Costume Parade at 7:15 p.m. To cap the evening, the Centerburg Trojans Marching Band will perform from the Community Corner stage at 7:45 p.m.
KnoxPages.com is back for the 2022 season as the Knox Foodies First Friday Food Trail sponsor. Stop by the info table at the intersection of Vine and South Main to pick up a First Friday Food Trail Card, collect the required stamps by making a purchase at each zone, and return the completed card to the info table to be entered into a drawing for a gift card to a downtown dining establishment. Didn’t finish a card from June or July? Bring the card back and continue the trail at the August event.
Traffic will be closed one block north of the Public Square, around the Square and on South Main Street down to Ohio Avenue starting at 4 p.m. Call McNeal at 740-393-1481 for more information.
Parking can be found at public lots around the exterior of First Fridays. Lots on South Gay and Mulberry Streets as well as off of East High Street are open to public parking during the event.
Experience Mount Vernon has partnered with Knox Public Health to host a bike valet station in the public parking lot at 20 East Ohio Ave. As part of the Active Transportation Plan, both Experience and Knox Public Health encourage those who can bike to take advantage of this FREE service.
Media sponsors include Town Money Saver, the Mount Vernon News, 90.9 WNZR, 13WMVO, Super Q 93.7 and KnoxPages.com. To learn more about First Fridays, or to join the #experience, head to ExperienceMV.org.
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