Friday Nights on Main Expected to Return Bigger This Year

“We started it last year and did one big event,” said organizing committee member Michaela Teeselink. “It was such a success. It was super fun.”

Teeselink said each event will have a different theme. The first one, on June 12, will be “Summer Kick Off.” The second, on July 10, will be “America 250” in recognition of the country’s 250^th birthday. The final event on August 14 will have the theme “Hot Summer Nights.” Vendors and activities for all ages are planned from 6-9 p.m. each night, as well as live music and a beer garden, Teeselink said, adding that many local businesses have also agreed to stay open late for the event.

Last year’s event was on Main Street between First and Crawford and this year Main will be closed for a longer stretch toward the north to make room for more vendors and additional activities, Teeselink said. Some activities from last year are set to occur again, such as disc golf hosted by 509 Wellness, she said. Teeselink continued that the organizing committee is exploring other options, such as a bounce house or a small petting zoo.

“We’re going to be doing more activities this year,” she said. “It’s not set in stone.”

Teeselink said between 25 and 30 vendors participated in last year’s event; this year, organizers are hoping to nearly double that with the additional space. “We’re going to measure out, but we’re probably hoping for at least 50,” she said.

An estimated 800 to 1,000 people attended last year’s event and organizers are hoping for bigger crowds this year. They’ve even lined up additional Porta Potties to accommodate larger crowds. “We’re on top of it,” she said. “We’re getting everything in place.”

Teeselink said the event came to fruition after local business owners came up with the idea for it last year. “A few small businesses just had the idea of having a street market and bringing more attention to the downtown business,” she said. “There’s so many new businesses.”

The event organizing committee includes representatives from Vine Wine, Northwest Wildflower, Birkland Boutique, Bicycles by Deron, 509 Wellness, and the Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society.

The effort was supported by the Deer Park Chamber of Commerce, but the organizing committee did most of the work themselves, Teeselink said. “We just did it,” she said. “It’s just about community, bringing awareness to downtown and having a good time with family.”

Organizers picked the second Friday of each month in order to avoid other events, Teeselink said. There’s a summer concert series on Saturday nights along with the Saturday Market held the first Saturday every month. Teeselink said if Friday Nights on Main was held on the first Friday of the month, vendors would have to stay late at that event, then be at the Saturday Market early the next morning.

“We don’t want to take away from that,” she said. “Some of the vendors are the same. We don’t want conflicting events.”

They liked the idea of having the event on a Friday night because it gives people a chance to unwind and have fun at the end of the work week while also leaving the weekend open for other activities, Teeselink said.

Vendor applications are being accepted for all three events, Teeselink said. The application links are available on the Friday Nights on Main Facebook page.

Money collected from vendors will be used to cover expenses, including hiring the bands and renting the porta potties. If there’s any money left over, it will be used for advertising purposes, such as having banners made, Teeselink said.

“No one is getting paid,” she said. “This is all volunteer stuff.”

Teeselink said additional details about the events will be released on the Friday Nights on Main Facebook page as they are finalized.