The inaugural Town Center Saturday brought lots of visitors and vendors to Town Center

By CHELSEA BLACKBURN
For Brentwood Home Page
The second Town Center Saturday is scheduled for June 18, and as that date quickly approaches, those involved are looking back to the inaugural street fair to see what went well, what didn't and what can be improved. The good news is that despite the cold and damp weather, there wasn't much in the "didn't do well" column from April to deal with.

“The weather could not have been worse – rainy and freezing cold! But, considering, we had a very good turnout,” organizer Alicia Helm said.

While the cold weather shouldn't be an issue next weekend, Mother Nature may still hold some surprises this month. The heat wave that has gripped the South over the past two weeks is one concern;wind is another. At the April event, no one had anticipated the wind, and it caused some problems with tents and vendors' merchandise.

Town Center Saturday's hours for June 18 have been adjusted by one hour. Instead of running 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., it will open at 10 am and close at 3 pm. Volunteer Jane Patton explained the committee thought most of the crowd would attend at a later time, offering more exposure for the vendors.

Parking and road closures have also been reviewed.

“We knew that solving the parking issues would take actually having an event, so we could see what drivers were doing and what roads they were coming down,” Helm said. 

As far as the roads leading two and from the festival, "the same area of roads will be closed: Town Center Way from Pewitt Drive to the roundabout,"Brentwood Police Officer John Maxwell said. "The roads will be closed from 7 am to 4 pm."

On June 18, volunteers will direct cars toward available parking at lots around Town Center. There will be a person pointing to lots at places along Friarson, Franklin, and Pewitt Roads. The overall flow -- in cars and on foot -- will be a bit better, anticipates Helm. With an addition of vendors, especially food sellers, the gaps that existed between booths in April will not be there. Patrons can expect packed sidewalks.

The things that went well in April will be capitalized in June.

“Many of the vendors commented that we were very organized,” said Helm. “Most vendors will be returning for June 18. The community was so encouraging, supportive, and positive.” Organizers expect a final vendors list to be released early next week.

The musical entertainment in April was a big draw and organizers expect the same this month. Already scheduled is s singer/songwriter Nicole Witt, who will perform at noon. She won first place in the country genre category in the International Songwriting Competition.

For more information, see www.towncentersaturdays.org.