MOUNT VERNON — Downtown Mount Vernon was the place to be Friday evening when the Heritage Centre Association’s First Friday festivities resumed after a winter hiatus. The downtown streets, shops and Public Square were lively in the early part of the evening as streams of visitors turned out for a stroll and some fun in spite of threatening clouds and a sprinkle or two. The inclement weather did close everything down earlier than scheduled.
In the meantime, folks were enjoying the traditional First Friday opportunities: Classic cars, music, art, children’s activities and food.
Brady Weslow a Mount Vernon Nazarene University student from Pasadena, Md., was one of the intrepid people checking out what First Friday is all about. The News caught up with him early in the evening before he had much of a chance to explore, so when asked his favorite thing, he said, “The sausage was delicious.”
Nine-year-old Ciel Leach was having fun on the square where the musical group Principally Speaking was entertaining the crowd with classic rock. “There’s a lot of music,” Ciel said, “and you get to run around with bare feet and pet lots of animals.”
Children could also get their faces painted, watch a balloon sculptor, try their luck at cornhole, participate in a hobby horse race or even play tennis in the middle of South Main Street.
From Shelby, MVNU student Shawnee Messner has been to First Friday twice before. “I like coming here,” she said, “I like being outside and going in all the different shops and art galleries.”
