Get ready for a celebration in downtown Greenville. After months of waiting, Main Street Greenville is proud to announce the resumption of First Fridays.
Park National Bank presents the Downtown Greenville Grand Re-Opening First Friday will be held Sept. 4, 6-9 p.m. This event will be a collection of some of the First Friday events that have been canceled this summer, including the Jordan Agency Artisan Stroll, Volunteer Fair, and Theatre on Third.
With assistance from the Darke County Health Department, Main Street Greenville is hoping to make this event safe and fun for the entire family. There will be signs reminding visitors of social distancing and the sidewalks will be one way. Visitors are asked to follow the state mandate and wear masks outdoors when social distancing cannot be adhered to.
The Park National Bank present the Downtown Greenville Grand Re-Opening will kick off with a ribbon cutting at 6 p.m. A location for the ribbon cutting has not yet been determined, but the purpose is to celebrate the investment the city has made into the downtown community. This spring and summer, the city pulled up the brick pavers that were not only starting to crumble in some areas, but were uneven and were a tripping hazard. They replaced them with beautiful stamped concrete. The transformation didn’t end there as the city added uplighting around the trees and began the installation of decorative lighting on the side streets. “Every week I have someone visiting our community come into the Welcome Center and share how beautiful our downtown is,” said Ryan Berry, executive director for Main Street Greenville.
After the ribbon cutting, visitors will enjoy strolling up and down Broadway and visiting all of our gifted crafters and artisans, as well as many of our agencies that either volunteer or are seeking volunteers. Some of the volunteer groups already signed up include the Friends of the Darke County Parks who plan to bring a couple of their raptors, We are the Majority and Radiant Lighthouse Church. These groups will have fun games and activities for visitors.
A popular activity for kids during the Jordan Agency Artisan Stroll is Chalk the Block. Since the event couldn’t be held in August, it will be held in September. Kids are invited to show off their creative side with sidewalk chalk. West Third Street will be open to chalk artists of any age. Main Street Greenville will supply the chalk; you supply the creativeness.
The Park National Bank presents the Downtown Greenville Grand Re-Opening First Friday will also host the What’s Your Sign Scavenger Hunt presented by Darke County Makers Co-op. Pick up a scavenger hunt sheet at the Welcome Center, 421 S. Broadway, decipher the clues, write down the business on the sheet, take a selfie in front of the sign and post it on social media. Bring the completed scavenger hunt sheet back to the Welcome Center before 9 p.m. A random entry will be drawn and will receive a gift basket with art supplies, candy and other gifts from Darke County Makers Co-op.
The final event of the evening is Theatre on Third in the parking lot behind Bach to Rock. Sit back, relax and enjoy the family-friendly movie Trolls World Tour. This fun new movie is appropriate for children of all ages. Showtime is at approximately 9 p.m.
Main Street Greenville is a non-profit organization committed to stimulating and supporting revitalization efforts, historic preservation and economic growth in Historic Downtown Greenville. To learn more about the organization, visit or call 937-548-4998. You can also like the organization on Facebook to receive updates on a regular basis (www.facebook.com/mainstreetgreenville).