Downtown festivities

Approximately 10,000 people attended the Lynch’s Landing annual event

College students and area residents gathered between the buildings on Main Street in the heart of the city for the seventh annual “Get! Downtown” festival Friday, Sept. 11.

Executive Director of Lynch’s Landing, Heather Kennedy said that shops like Pastiche at Main and the White Hart kept their doors open for extended hours to accommodate the nearly 10,000 guests expected to have attended the festival.

To measure the grandiose of the event, Kennedy also stated that Life Focus Productions would capture the event from an aerial view camera on top of the Bank of the James.

Various organizations and other community groups such as Freedom 4/24, Spirit FM, and the Democratic Headquarters, stationed themselves along the sidewalks of Main Street to promote their group.

“It’s a free event, so of course we welcome everybody, and now it’s just a huge, hodgepodge mix of the whole Lynchburg community,” Kennedy said.

JoAnn Martin, City of Lynchburg’s director of communications and marketing, said originally, college students were the primary focus, but now the community also plays a large role in “Get! Downtown.”

From families with five-year olds to freshman from local secondary schools, Martin believes the event serves the community and the colleges.

“(‘Get! Downtown!’ is) a great opportunity (and is) two-fold: to welcome all the college students back … and (to give) the community the chance to come together and have a good time,” Martin said.

The crowd bustled along the roadway as people listened to live music and browsed shops. The local businesses spilled out onto the streets with small tables showcasing the stores, and according to Pastiche at Main owner, Haley Pavao, “Get Downtown!” allows her business to leave a “footprint” in the Lynchburg area and communicate better with possible customers. Pastiche at Main’s website states that the business “specializes in Handmade, Handcrafted, and Custom items.”

“We really do appreciate all the support because really, that’s how we feed our families,” Pavao said. “We are a local collaborative that want to give back to the local area by showcasing our craft, but that means that they have to support us in return. So we will always owe Lynchburg for (its) support.”

Local resident, Vicky Bradley said the event brings some life to downtown Lynchburg and encourages college students around the area to interact with businesses and local activities.

“I’m impressed with it,” Bradley said. “I think it is a good way to advertise Lynchburg to the students … I love our downtown.”

After the “Get! Downtown” event ended at 9 p.m., Lynchburg proceeded with “Stay! Downtown” where people could go from chocolate tasting at Cao Artisan Chocolates to listening to Audacity Brass Band at the White Hart Cafe as well as other events that lasted late into the evening.

For more information on future events such as the Saturday Farmers Market, concerts and First Fridays, go to downtownlynchburg.com.

TILLER is the feature editor.