Downtown After 6 returns Thursday with Beach Blast
The Beach Blast features a transformation of the Newberry Street Festival area into a beach, complete with sand, virtual beach scenes, a dance floor and beach music. In addition, Aiken Horsepower will host a Cruise-in.
It is all part of the quarterly Downtown After 6 event as many of Aiken’s merchants stay open past normal closing hours, offering sales and specials to customers enjoying the themed evening.
“This is a celebration that summer is here” explained Carla Cloud, the executive director of the coordinating Aiken Downtown Development Association.
The Aiken Horsepower Association will kick off the Newberry Street activities at 6 p.m. with a Cruise-In displaying their mature vehicles. Sand will be available for children to enjoy the beach without the ocean. Dancing starts around 8:30 p.m. with music provided by Tony Baughman of WKSX Radio and informal shag and salsa dance lessons until 10:30 p.m.
“Johnny and Judy Turner will be on hand again with shag demonstrations and some basic step instructions, and A&E Dance Studio will be providing salsa lessons.” Cloud said. “We are grateful to Argo Land Development for donating a truck load of sand for the event and to the Aiken Community Playhouse which lends us its portable floor for the dancers’ enjoyment. And we’re very excited that Aiken Family Magazine and WKSX 92.7 FM have partnered with us this year.”
Cloud suggests the public bring lawn chairs and blankets to comfortably enjoy the evening. Cloud also shared that the Aiken Community Playhouse Youth Wing will be selling cold sodas during the Beach Blast. All proceeds benefit the ACP Youth Wing Scholarship Fund.
There is no charge for the Beach Blast; however, shopping will be rewarded. Shoppers are encouraged to keep their receipts from participating businesses. If a person spends $50-$100 throughout the evening, they can turn in their receipts to the ADDA office between June 18-25 and redeem them for 10 percent back in Downtown Dollars. The minimum redemption is $5, and the maximum is $10. There is only one redemption per customer, and the receipts must be from a participating business and dated June 17.
“This is a great way to encourage shopping at our participating businesses and to keep money circulating in Downtown Aiken,” said Jamie Turner, ADDA administrative assistant. “Downtown Dollars are accepted at nearly 80 locations in downtown Aiken.” The ADDA office will provide maps to highlight the sponsoring merchants during the Downtown After 6 event. Businesses will be celebrating in a variety of ways and each is worth dropping in to check out the festivities. A survey will be included on the back of the map, and the ADDA always welcomes feedback to aid in future event planning.
Among the participating merchants are: A&E Dance Studio, Aiken Antique Mall, Aiken Center for the Arts, Aiken Community Playhouse, Aiken County Visitors Center, Chris’ Camera Center, The Curiosity Shop, Desserves, Equine Divine, Kicks of Aiken, Lionel Smith Ltd, Tea Garden Gifts and URS.
Contact the ADDA office at 803-649-2221 or visit www.downtownaiken.com for more information.
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Downtown Aiken will be full of fall’s flavors on Sunday
Usher in the autumn season with the Flavors of Fall.
The Aiken Downtown Development Association (ADDA) will host its third annual Flavors of Fall in downtown Aiken on Sunday. This year, it is spicing up things with the addition of a chili cook-off.
On Sunday from 3 to 5:30 p.m., Laurens Street between Barnwell Street and Park Avenue will be alive with the sights and sounds of fall. Scarecrows will greet visitors along with a casserole bake sale to benefit Aiken Churches Together Serving, hay rides, a cruise-in hosted by Aiken Horsepower, games, presentations and other activities.
“With games, arts and crafts, food and entertainment, the Flavors of Fall festival truly has something for the whole family to enjoy,” said Jamie Turner, administrative assistant at the ADDA office. “This year we’re very happy with the number of local nonprofit organizations that wanted to participate.”
Several downtown shops are hosting special games and activities for the event.
The Aiken Center for the Arts will offer arts and craft projects for children.
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Get your tickets to sample taste of downtown.
Tickets went on sale 17th Sept 09 for the 12th annual A Taste of Downtown Aiken.
Thirteen downtown restaurants and food retailers, along with vendors from the Aiken County Farmers Market, will participate in this year’s event, held Tuesday from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 on the day of the event, and can be picked up at the Aiken Downtown Development Association office in The Alley. During the event, patrons will be able to sample an assortment of dishes and deserts, which will include shrimp in a white cilantro sauce, guava cheese flan and creamy black beans from Cafe Rio Blanco, sticky toffee pudding at Plum Pudding and Humming Bird Cake from Desserves. Rose Hill Estate’s RH Stable Restaurant & Beer Garden will offer citrus plank shrimp, beef short ribs and German bratwurst. Casa Bella will have Penne al Briamasco and Davor’s will serve mini beef Wellington.
Only 300 tickets will be sold. Once the limit is met, there will be no other tickets available. Proceeds for A Taste of Downtown Aiken will go to benefit theAiken Downtown Development Association. For more information, call the association’s office at 649-2221
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Have a ‘beach blast’ downtown today
The Aiken Downtown Development Association is bringing the beach to Newberry Street this evening for its second annual Beach Blast event.
Aiken’s Beach Blast ’09 will be held in conjunction with the ADDA’s quarterly Downtown After 6 promotion and will be held at the Newberry Street Festival site.
Carla Cloud, executive director of the ADDA, said the organization is looking to have an even bigger turnout this year than last year.
“This was a huge success last year for the first Beach Blast, and we believe it will be even better this year,” Cloud said in a release.
The festivities will kick off at 6 p.m. with a antique car cruise-in by members of the Aiken Horsepower Association.
Many participating merchants will have give-a-ways at Beach Blast. True Value Hardware will give away free hot dogs; Coldwell Banker will distribute homemade ice cream and Birds and Butterflies will have free lemonade.
The music and dancing will begin on Newberry Street at 8:30 p.m. with shag demonstrations. Full Details
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ADDA to sponsor Hole-in-One Days!
The Augusta National won’t be the only place you will find golfers during Masters Week.
Carla Cloud, executive director of the Aiken Downtown Development Association, said downtown retailers are hoping to bring the excitement of Masters Week downtown April 6-11 with an event called “Hole-in-One Days.”
The event is aimed to draw shoppers in by bringing the week’s golfing theme downtown.
Several stores will have putting greens set up for shoppers to try their hand at making a hole-in-one. The reward: discounts or gifts, according to Cloud.
“We realized that not everyone has an opportunity to attend the Masters Tournament. And we know there are a lot of wives who are looking for something to do while ‘hubby’ is on the golf course. So we decided to offer some fun alternatives for everyone,” Cloud said in a release.
Shoppers at Plum Pudding will qualify for free shipping with a hole-in-one shot, while Carriage House Inn will offer customers a taste of “Southern goodies.”
Shoppers at Chris’ Camera Center will be eligible to win a free 8-by-10 collage with up to 15 pictures.
Several stores will also be tax-free during the week. Signs will be placed outside those stores so that they are easily identified by shoppers.
On Thursday, April 9, the ADDA will hold its quarterly Downtown After Six event; this one will be called “Par-Tee in Downtown Aiken.”
During “Par-Tee,” shops will stay open late, and entertainers will perform throughout downtown beginning at 6 p.m.
A complete list of participating businesses, their incentives and a schedule of events can be viewed at a special website which has been constructed for the week – aikendayout.com.
For more information, contact the ADDA office at 649-2221.
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