A bright fall morning began the second day of ‘Get Down Downtown,’ a festival honoring the Main Streets of the U.S., run by Main Street Searcy. The festival took place at Spring Park and on the square from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1.
The Harding community is crossing a bridge to the Searcy community by participating in the ‘Get Down Downtown’ entertainment. The Harding jazz ensembles, which are no longer one big band, played many upbeat songs, as did a campus favorite, Some Different Animals.
To make Harding a bigger part of the “Get Down Downtown” experience, the director, Amy Burton, decided to approach bands around campus to entertain. There were three stages total at the event and 21 bands, some formed by Harding students, came out.
This is the fourth annual “Get Down Downtown” event that Main Street Searcy has hosted. Main Street Searcy is a part of a nonprofit organization whose goal is to preserve the Main Streets across the country. The purpose of the festival is put on to promote the historical buildings of downtown while also benefiting the merchants who conduct their business there.
Down Spring and Main Streets tents and booths were set up in front of the businesses, advertising the wares and goings-on of the different merchants. Contests of all kinds gave visitors the chance to win many prizes such as a guitar or Toby Keith tickets.
The jazz band went on at 11 a.m. and played for a full hour, changing out musicians periodically for different ensemble groups.
Senior Jared Phillips, bass player for all of the ensembles, said that he enjoyed the experience.
“I just show up, play and enjoy,” Phillips said. “Even if you’re playing for only four or five people, it’s just the same as playing for yourself.”
Some Different Animals performed right after the jazz ensembles at noon and proved to have a little bit bigger fan base. The band in unison expressed “Oh yeah” in their excitement about playing for the Searcy community.
“The atmosphere is more inviting,” said senior Sam Featherstone, lead vocals and guitar for the band.
The band experienced some technical difficulties but pulled through. The non-Harding community was even intrigued by the band. An elderly man walked into the middle of the crowd of Harding students and just listened. When show finished, he applauded at the end of the show.
The crowd was bopping and quietly singing along with the music. Junior Velvet Janelle, a fan of Some Different Animals, said she came out to watch her friends in the band and because she enjoys their musical style.
“It makes Searcy more lively,” said Janelle. “They should definitely do it next year.”
