Henderson’s festival and music season kicks into another gear this week with Saturday’s SummerFest and a new addition—the Summer Sunset Series.
The Summer Sunset Series is sponsored by the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, and according to Executive Director Clay Gillham, one of the inspirations for the new series occurred during a visit to a Chicago neighborhood. There, she saw people in that community gathered eating and drinking, looking at art and listening to live music.
The Summer Sunset Series is also a way to support the Sunset District, which first became a part of the downtown scene three years ago, Gillham said.
“For the sunset district to be utilized, there needs to be a reason for people to be outdoors downtown,” Gillham said.
The Summer Sunset Series aims to do just that. Its main location throughout the summer will be in the parking lot east of Dunaway’s Pharmacy at the corner of Third and Main streets.
There, a main stage for live music will be set up, vendors of the Henderson County Farmers Market will sell their fruits, vegetables, meats and other wares, and at Thursday’s event, 4-6 artisans will also sell their creations, Gillham said.
The event runs 4-8 p.m.
Here are the local vendors that will sell Thursday:
- Cardinal Farms Peaches
- Cascade Designs LLC
- CDBS Honey Farm & Produce
- Charlie and Claire’s
- Frazer Art/Photography
- Fresh Cut Farms
- Niagara Soap Company
- Wedding Family Farm, LLC
- Wilson’s World by Jinger
- Windy Hill Farm + Home LLC
- Woods and Stems
Additionally, downtown stores and boutiques will stay open later for shoppers. They include:
- Beachbum Farms Designs & Company
- ELITE Downtown
- Falcon Creek Boutique
- LandyLane Boutique
- The Olive Leaf
- The Whole Home Refillery
- Whims & Wishes
- William Gray Haberdashery
Gillham said the chamber and partners decided on Thursday nights because local restaurants are doing well on Fridays and Saturdays and many people in the community take off for weekend trips in the summer.
Other dates of the Summer Sunset Series are June 26, July 17 and August 14.
Two days after the inaugural Summer Sunset Series, the fourth annual SummerFest will rock downtown. Like last year, it promises to be a giant group sing-along except that this year’s soundtrack will be the songs of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Free Fallin’, a Tom Petty tribute band, headlines Saturday’s event.
The festival starts at 5 p.m. when the beer garden opens.
At 6 p.m., Paralandra, a high-energy rock band, will open the music for the night. After Paralandra, Ryan Cabrera, a platinum platinum-selling singer and songwriter who gained notoriety in the 2000s with hits “On the Way Down,” “True” and “Shine On,” takes the stage.
One of the SummerFest’s organizers, Jonathan Dixon, said he expects the crowd as raucous as last year. After all, “Who doesn’t love Tom Petty?”
The event is free but donations are accepted to support SummerFest’s chosen charity to sponsor. This year’s benefitting charity is Henderson Christian Community Outreach. Attendees and supporters are encouraged to donate via a link on the website at SummerFestKY.com.