Written by Gina Cielo
The third annual “Get Down Downtown” festival will be held in downtown Searcy next weekend, Sept. 24-25.Main Street Searcy, a nonprofit organization, will host the festival, which will host more than 100 vendors, carnival games, a rock wall, artists, a dog parade and food concessions, among other activities.However, the main attraction for the festival will be the various concerts held throughout Friday and Saturday. This year, artists range from contemporary Christian, rock and pop to bluegrass, country and gospel.Saturday night’s headliner is Nashville recording artist Mark Wills, best known for his contemporary country style. Amy Burton, executive director for Main Street Searcy, said she is hoping that along with the diversity of music, Wills will attract many people to the festival.”The message we really want to get out is that there is a really diverse music lineup that will appeal to any age audience,” Burton said.Beginning at 6 p.m. on Friday, there will be bands playing on the Hoffmann Architectural Stage. Beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, musicians and various entertainers will be performing on the Hoffmann Architectural Stage, the Downtown Association Stage in the downtown area and on the Land O’ Frost Stage in Spring Park.Abbey Hunter, Harding intern for Main Street Searcy, said she thinks “Get Down Downtown” is a good avenue for Harding students to get out of the “Harding bubble.””I think it’s a great way for Harding students to get involved with the Searcy community,” Hunter said.With close to 15,000 people attending the event last year, both Hunter and Burton said they hope the festival will continue to grow this year and bring out more young people.”It’s free, a great way to spend a Friday or Saturday night, there is live music, and it’s a great way to get to know the downtown businesses of Searcy,” Hunter said.
