City Kicks Off 2012 Downtown Event Series this Week
March 14, 2012
Popular weekly series adds regional and national touring bands to lineup
GREENVILLE, SC – March 14, 2012 – The City of Greenville kicks off its Downtown Event Series this week with the season opening nights of Piedmont Natural Gas Downtown Alive and BB&T Main Street Fridays. The free weekly events return to the Hyatt block offering a season filled with live musical entertainment performed by local, regional and national touring bands, special events and children’s activities.
According to Angie Prosser, director of public information and events for the City of Greenville, Piedmont Natural Gas Downtown Alive and BB&T Main Street Fridays are two of the most highly anticipated events of the year. “We have a great lineup of local talent and have added regional and national touring bands this season that we anticipate will be huge draws to the event series. With the tremendous support we have received from the Greenville community, we are fortunate to bee able to continue to provide free entertainment for those who work, live and visit here. ”
Piedmont Natural Gas Downtown Alive presented by Greenville Heritage Federal Credit Union will go green for its first event on March 15 with a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. The event series serves as the single largest fundraiser for the Metropolitan Arts Council, a local organization providing support and other vital services to individual artists, arts organizations and arts education programs. Throughout its 24-week season, event goers can enjoy live musical entertainment on the Wild Wing Café Stage. Featured musical acts include the Wheeler Brothers, The Piedmont Bands, Okra and Benton Blount.
Piedmont Natural Gas is truly excited for the opportunity to continue our sponsorship of Downtown Alive in 2012, said Barbara Davis, community relations manager for Piedmont Natural Gas. Downtown Alive is an excellent way for the Greenville community to come together and celebrate this great city. Piedmont Natural Gas is committed to promoting the vitality of the communities we serve, and this great event is part of our ongoing effort to deliver on that promise.
As a new addition this season, Piedmont Natural Gas Downtown Alive has partnered with Wild Wing Café to kick off a Last Band Standing contest. Every Thursday night beginning May 10, two bands will compete against each other at Wild Wing Café in a winner take all battle. The contest will begin with 16 bands and end with one winner. The winning band will receive a headlining show at Piedmont Natural Gas Downtown Alive on August 30, a $1,000 gift certificate to Guitar Center, a chance to play the Wild Wing Café circuit, a three-song EP recording and a rotation on a local radio station. Interested bands can submit their information and recordings to [email protected].
BB&T Main Street Fridays presented by Pepsi will debut March 16 at the Hyatt Plaza. The family-friendly 28-week event will feature jazz, blues, beach and variety music each week on the Larkin’s Restaurants Stage. Highlighted monthly performances include Chocolate Thunder, The Flashbacks, Encore and 5th and York. In addition, BB&T Main Street Fridays will include a Kid’s Zone featuring inflatables and fun-filled activities for children, such as face painting and arts and crafts. New this year, unlimited children’s ride wristbands will be available to purchase for $12.
BB&T is thrilled to again partner with the City of Greenville as the title sponsor for BB&T Main Street Fridays,” said BB&T City Executive Scott Taylor. “Helping make the communities in which we live and work better places to be is a key part of BB&T’s mission, whether through the financial support we provide to local organizations delivering help to those in need or through the direct time and energy of our employees participating in our Lighthouse Projects. Partnering with the City of Greenville to present Main Street Fridays in our fantastic downtown is yet another way for BB&T to demonstrate how thrilled we are to be a part of this incredible community.
For more information about the event series, visit the City’s website at events.greenvillesc.gov or follow the events on Facebook and Twitter.
