Downtown Lincoln Nashville Nights a huge success in spite of the heat
 

[June 23, 2024]     Lincoln’s second of three 3rd Fridays was held on the Courthouse Square on the evening of Friday, June 21st. The theme: Nashville Nights. As with the usual array of vendors, live music was played in multiple locations around the square.

The weather on Friday was bright and sunny. While the sun was nice to see, it also brought blistering temperatures in the nineties. Luckily, once the sun began to go down, so did the heat. The weather didn’t keep people away, however. Hundreds of people could be seen gathered around the streets of the square.

As is the case with 3rd Fridays in Lincoln, each of the four streets (McLean, S. Kickapoo, Pulaski, and Broadway) had their own similar activities, businesses, and organizations.

McClean Street had many different businesses that were on the more arts and crafts side. One could get henna tattoos from Leigh Mo’s Art or decorated pens from Boujee Pens. A business called Crochet and Kandi was selling all kinds of fun crocheted items. Intention Candles by Janis Ryan was where you could buy candles made from beeswax and essential oils. These candles were designed with meditation and prayer in mind. Roots and Relics had many 3D printed items, including dragons. Bob’s Woodshed had many handcrafted items made of wood, resin, or both. One of the items for sale was a beautifully crafted chess board.

Rounding the corner to Pulaski Street, there were many nice cars on display. Some were vintage, others were sports cars, but all were clearly well taken care of. Continuing down this street, one may have seen food being sold by Mama’s Arcade as well as MKS Livestock. Burgers, hot dogs, and chips were on offer by Mama’s, while MKS was serving various types of fresh grilled meats. There were also many people enjoying a beverage from Spirited Republic in their outdoor seating area.

Going down South Kickapoo Street, one would have seen many different businesses and organizations from all around Lincoln. There were stands with representatives on Juneteenth as well as Logan County Pride. There were representatives from the Lincoln Community Theater and Lincoln’s Railsplitter Festival. Several churches were also present, with some being Faith Church and their photo area, Open Arms and their walking tacos, and Hope Chapel with crocheted hats and other fun items.

Food and drinks could also be found on this street, including The Travel Tap with several cold drinks and a second stand for Mama’s. Smash Dried Candy was here selling freeze dried candy, and one could have bought a Nashville hot chicken skewer from Guest House. J & M Meat Market was also set up selling sandwiches and chips outside their new storefront.

Turning the corner onto the final street, Broadway Street, one would have seen many activities geared towards kids and families. There were several sports/activity stations set up including several inflatable bouncy houses. Like most of the streets, food and drink were plentiful here as well. Sorrento’s was selling pizza slices outside their store, and nearby El Mazatlan was set up selling margaritas. Continuing down toward the train tracks, Brew 66 and We Three Sweets both had their trailers set up. Froggies Groovy Goodies were very popular in the warm weather, selling shaved ice. Homemade by Lori Hagan was the location of several delicious looking baked goods, and right across the road was Boomer’s BBQ.

While each street had its own “theme” of sorts, there was one constant everywhere. Between about 6:30 and 7:30, all kinds of bands got set up all around, and the music could be heard from every corner of the square once everyone was set up and playing. These bands/performers included Ryan/Papesch Trio outside of Sorrento’s, Harmony Grits outside of Alley-Bi, Stereo Typical outside of Spirited Republic, Double Shot Duo outside of Foxhole, Next Thing Smokin’ outside of Rusty Rail, and Cooper Smith inside of Guest House. People set up lawn chairs, had seats along the curb, or stood by on the sidewalks to watch each of these bands perform. The energy at each was different, but Cooper Smith’s stood out for being the only indoor and only solo performance of the night.

The evening was filled with fun and food, revelry and comradery. This 3rd Friday was certainly a hit. If you were unable to make it, there will be one more 3rd Friday for the season, that one being on the evening of July 19th. The theme for this final event will be Under the Sea and will be held from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm that evening.

[Matt Boutcher]