SEARCY — Main Street Searcy, in conjunction with local merchants and volunteers, will bring a brand-new event to Searcy, complete with artisans, food trucks and live music.
Amy Burton, executive director of Main Street Searcy, said community volunteers have worked together to form a planning committee for Beats & Eats, set for 6-10 p.m. May 19.
“Several downtown merchants were interested in doing an after-hours type of event downtown,” Burton said.
“Between merchants, the Main Street Searcy office and a group of community volunteers, we put together a good working committee and started planning Beats & Eats,” Burton said.
She said businesses actively involved in the Planning Committee include Think Idea Studio, Burrito Day and Benjamin’s, among others.
“It really truly is a collaborative effort,” Burton emphasized.
Burton said the event will take place in the Main Street parking lot in downtown Searcy across from First United Methodist Church.
“We’ve talked about trying to get a monthly event started,” Burton said. “We’ll know more after the first event, when we’re able to judge the number of people who participate and attend.
“This is something we’ve looked at doing during the nicer, warmer months of the year. It might become a first-Friday-of-the-month type of event.”
Admission is free to the public, and vendor spaces can be rented for $25 per spot. The deadline for vendors to sign up is Wednesday.
“We’re really doing this more to invite local artists,” Burton said. “We’re looking for artists and crafters for this particular event, not people who are reselling merch. We want it to be kind of like an art walk, ” she said.
“We’re going to have a good variety of unique vendors. We have some people who do different types of artwork, woodwork and painting,” Burton said.
“Get Down Downtown in September is more the venue for vendors who do direct or home sales,” she said.
Burton said Beats & Eats will feature live music, food trucks and a variety of artists and vendors.
“Zion Climbing Center will be there with their rock wall, as well as a variety of other downtown merchants,” Burton said.
“We encourage people to bring their lawn chairs and families. You can sit and listen to music, get dinner from a food truck, and just relax and enjoy an evening downtown,” she said.
“We’re going to buy yard signs and order T-shirts,” Burton said. “As vendor payments come in, it’ll be a self-sustaining event.
“We’d like to keep the art community involved in it, but we’d certainly want to do things from event to event to change things up and make it interesting to the community.”
Burton said events downtown generate interest in the downtown commercial district.
“Over the years, downtown areas across the nation have seen decline. Searcy, in the big picture, has been fortunate that we’ve not seen our downtown collapse like so many towns have,” she said.
“Main Street Searcy is an economic-development program, but it’s steeped in historic preservation as well. It drives tourism and traffic downtown,” Burton said.
“We work to preserve historic integrity downtown and keep viable businesses downtown, and we do these events to get the public downtown to see what’s in our community because it’s a lot to be proud of,” she said.
Heather Kemper, a volunteer on the committee, said she has taken the lead on getting artisans lined up for Beats & Eats.
“I’m excited to see the community come together to provide a family-friendly event, to really showcase what we have in Searcy,” Kemper said.
“I’m also excited to give the local artists and bands we have a platform to share what they do and be appreciated by all of the other members of the community,” she said.
“I think people in Searcy are always excited when something new comes along. This is really just a venue or platform to bring together what’s already here and really highlight that and give Searcy something to be proud of,” Kemper said.
She said vendors will include abstract paintings by VanHook Art, pottery by Higgledy Piggledy Pottery, upcycled and vintage treasures from Patina and Rust Mercantile and Miller Girls Mercantile, original paintings from AJ’s Art Studio and stained glass from Bennett Studio.
“Searcy Farmers Market vendors will also be in attendance,” she said.
“Beyond Boundaries will be open after hours during the event and will have a mini disc-golf course set up. There will also be interactive booths from Trout Magnet and Ice Cube Putters,” Kemper said.
“Food truck vendors include Say Cheese and Los Locos,” she said.
Kemper said T-shirts will be available for purchase for $15 each, with proceeds going to Main Street Searcy.
Staff writer Kayla Baugh can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or kbaugh@arkansasonline.com.