2nd annual Celebrate Cullman downtown fest next weekend

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July 30, 2012

2nd annual Celebrate Cullman downtown fest next weekend

By Trent Moore and David Palmer The Cullman Times The Cullman Times Mon Jul 30, 2012, 09:01 AM CDT

CULLMAN — Though Busy Bee owner Kitty Spears was technically able to participate in last year’s Celebrate Cullman, the 2012 edition should run a lot smoother — mostly because she actually has a restaurant to use this time around.

When her original cafe was destroyed by the April 2011 tornadoes, Spears loaded her grill and surviving restaurant sign onto a trailer to sell burgers to the crowd at last year’s late-summer downtown festival.

This year, the festival comes to her and the newly restored Busy Bee, with a petting zoo planned across the street from her Fifth Street SE location, along with festivities all over downtown.

“We’ll be here, and I’m really excited to have a place for people to actually come in and sit down this time,” Spears laughed. “We’re really excited and think it’ll be a lot of fun.”

Launched last year by the Cullman Downtown Merchant’s Association in response to the devastating tornado outbreak, Celebrate Cullman brought the community together for a night of fun and shopping in downtown.

For year two, set for Friday, August 3, organizers want to keep the same sentiment at the heart of the event — but make it even bigger.

Two stages of live music are planned, with the south stage at First Avenue East featuring Memphis Annie and Microwave Dave and the Nukes. Exit 310 and the Blake Scott Band will headline the north stage.

A beer garden with wine tastings will also be on tap, and several local restaurants will host additional live entertainment. Most local shops will stay open until 9-10 p.m., with some festivities running as late as midnight. Carnival games, candlelight walking tours, pony rides and face-painting are also planned across several blocks of downtown.

“We just want to build on the success we had last year, and a lot of the same team is working on this, with a few additional helpers that are doing an awesome job,” CDMA President Nathan Anderson said. “You could just see it last year, with the huge crowds walking around downtown, and we’re hoping it can be even bigger this year.”

Ron Pierce, past president of the Downtown Merchants Association, said the inaugural event was aimed at showing the community the downtown district was still viable in the wake of the tornadoes that gutted downtown. But from that show of unity, he said the merchants unveiled a greater determination to market their unique businesses to a wider audience.

“We've had a year to plan since the initial event,” Pierce said. “We looked back and saw what a tremendous success we had last year and determined to move forward in making this an annual showcase for the merchants. Visitors will find a lot of shops to visit, but we also have added more activities along the streets for people of all ages to enjoy.”

Steve Carter, co-owner of The Shops at Third Street Promenade, said his store saw a big boost in traffic following last year’s event, and he’s hoping even more will come out this year.

“We’re excited about doing it again,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing, and we hope everyone has a good turnout like last year. It definitely helps.”

* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.

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2nd annual Celebrate Cullman downtown fest next weekend

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