MANSFIELD ─ Final Friday concerts will look slightly different this year. But yes, they are returning.
Downtown Mansfield Inc. announced Wednesday the concert series will kick off on May 28 at The Brickyard and go on until September. It is the first final Friday concert since September 2019. Artists that will perform at the end of this month are Emily Raff, Jimi Vincent Band and Terry Lee Ridley.
Ohio ended its mass gathering ban in early April, paving the way for the return of graduations, festivals and other events. Governor Mike DeWine announced a week ago that the state will lift all statewide COVID-19 health orders on June 2, including the mask mandate.
Katie Crall, communications and event assistant at DMI, said the organization has referred to the guidelines from Richland Public Health and the state in all events it has done since the pandemic arrived.
While the gathering limit was gone, DMI will set up additional hand washing and sanitizing stations at the concert, Crall said. Attendees are asked to bring their own seating as usual, which will also help the situation.
Besides, all beverages will be served in single-use disposable containers. No refilling will be available. Crall said food trucks will be onsite to offer various options. DMI asks people to be mindful of precautions and keep using common sense.
Established in 2007, the annual Final Friday Concert Series has become a major event in downtown Mansfield that draws thousands of people to the area. The COVID-19 pandemic put it on pause last year.
“We started on as kind of a way to not only support local artists but also to get people downtown,” Crall said.
The public would have the opportunity to see what downtown Mansfield has to offer, including the original brickwork and gorgeous old buildings, when attending the concerts, she said.
The free concerts will start at 5:30 p.m. with three acts on each night. The lineup for this year is as follows:
