Inaugural First Friday of 2016 season coming

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Friday, May 6 will mark the arrival of the 2016 edition of Greencastle First Fridays and a return of monthly spring, summer and fall fun to the Courthouse Square.

The inaugural 2016 First Friday will commence at 6 p.m. with live music starting at 7.

"We hope that you will join us this season and take advantage of the opportunities this event provides for businesses and organizations throughout the community from May to December," organizer Tami Van Rensselaer said in announcing the opening Friday night lineup.

The third annual celebration of First Fridays, as usual, will be centered around food, fun and music.

Featured entertainment on the Franklin Street stage is sponsored by Almost Home and The Swizzle Stick. The opening act of the season will be the Lemon Brothers, a Terre Haute group, that will begin its return engagement at 7 p.m.

Meanwhile, some opening-week First Friday highlights of booths and pop-ups will include:

-- Almost Home/Swizzle Stick grilling out food and offering an outdoor beer garden. War Radio will be performing inside The Swizzle, beginning at 9 p.m., to finish off the evening.

-- Main Street Greencastle will be selling its downtown 1924 posters for $10 and will have historic local postcards for $1 each.

-- Heritage Preservation Society/Putnam County Purdue Extension Homemakers will unveil a new plaque mounted on the Heritage Wall in downtown Greencastle at 5 p.m. honoring Putnam Extension Homemakers for significantly enhancing the quality of life in this area for many decades. At 6 p.m. in the Commissioners' Room in the courthouse, Rose Wernicke will address the Historic District nominations to the National Register for neighborhoods in Cloverdale, Bainbridge, Roachdale and Russellville. Her presentation will highlight the historic structures which make these areas important and worth preserving.

-- Purdue Extension Putnam County will host two stations. Putnam County Master Gardeners and the Putnam County 4-H program's "Celebrate Indiana" SPARK Club activities. Master Gardeners will be promoting upcoming events along with the upcoming Master Gardener class. They will also have Interactive activities at the booth. "Celebrate Indiana" is one of Putnam County 4-H's SPARK Club opportunities with at least three different day trips that including a greater Greencastle walking tour, Indianapolis historical museums and Connor Prairie. Flyers and registration information will be available at the booth.

-- Southern Whimsy Boutique, a new local clothing boutique, is committed to providing clothing that allows women to live with style and grace. To see some of Southern Whimsy's clothing go to the Southern Whimsy Boutique Facebook page.

-- Bear Threads offering boutique clothing and handcrafted accessories for all ages.

-- Putnam County Hospital will be promoting Relay for Life as well as its Cancer Center as it introduces Dr. Ahmed (Franciscan St. Francis doctor) to the community.

-- Harcourt Racing will feature superstocks race car drivers Chris Harcourt and Josh Boller -- regular local winners at Lincoln Park Speedway at Putnamville -- who will have their cars on display on the square.

-- DJ Creations/Artistic Colors, a sponsor of Harcourt Racing, will have face painting by owner Donna Harcourt, artist and professional face painter. Bring your child or yourself for a racing design and more. To see more of Donna's work go to DJCreationsonline.com.

-- Conspire: Contemporary Craft will be participating with extended evening hours from 6-9 p.m. with a 10 percent off sale on all soaps, skincare and essential oils. Conspire will also have a booth to demonstrate soap felting.

-- Myers' Market and Hog-N-It-All will offer pulled pork, ribs, barbecue chicken and sides at Myers' 5 East downtown location from 6 p.m. until it's gone.

-- Downtown Donuts will introduce its new business to Greencastle and the greater Putnam County area. It will be at First Friday and the Greencastle Farmers' Market on Saturday.

-- Starbucks will offer a Coffee Tasting Seminar from 6-7 p.m. Come learn about the different growing regions that define Starbucks' flavor profiles.

-- Younique Cosmetics by Cinder Hayden will have a booth to offer its products and services.

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