MANSFIELD, Ohio – The month of October will kick off in style this weekend with downtown Mansfield’s First Friday Shop Hop on Oct. 2.
The more than 50 independent businesses located in the heart of Mansfield will be offering entertainment, unique events and sale specials from 5 to 9 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to meet friends and explore the new face of downtown Mansfield.
The festivities will actually kick off earlier in the day on Friday, where Downtown Mansfield Inc. has partnered with Richland Carrousel Park to extend the downtown Farmer’s Market for one more weekend. The market will be held at the Carrousel on Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. where shoppers have a bonus opportunity to support local farmers and crafters.
Later in the evening, Richland Carrousel Park will host their traditional Family Night where rides are five for $2 and children under two ride for free from 5 to 8 p.m.
Artspace will have the Weather Vane Trunk Fall Fashion Show from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., where guests are introduced to cozy fall fashions just in time for brisk October weather.
Another downtown arts destination, Element of Art Studio and Gallery, will host local singer Corinne Juliet performing both original and cover tunes. Guests can also explore the gallery’s new monochromatic techniques including black-and-white and sepia-style photography by Diane Nichols, Sherry Morrison and Dan Dininger, and monochromatic acrylic paintings by Angel Mitchell, Tony Koebel, Joe Hill, Raymond Shaw and more. Snacks will be catered by City Garden Café.
Adults looking for refreshments can venture to The Phoenix Brewing Company for “Firkin Friday.” Co-owner Steve Zigmund explained a firkin, or a “cask” ale, is a small keg filled with a Phoenix beer with some additional ingredients added to create a unique, naturally carbonated beer. The firkin is tapped right before it’s served, and once tapped the beer must be served the same day.
“Before tapping, the firkin is vented to release any excess carbonation. To vent, a small peg called a spile is driven through the top of the firkin,” explained Zigmund. “The vent also allows the beer to flow out of the keg once it is tapped. When ready to serve the beer on tap is driven through a plug on the front of the firkin, called a keystone, with a mallet. The beer will gravity flow from the firkin when the tap is open.”
The Phoenix Brewing Company will also host live entertainment with the Just Jazz Trio from 7 to 10 p.m.
Main Street Books will host Ohio authors Kevin Keating and Michael Garriga for an encore appearance where they first visited last October. This July, Keating’s new book ” The Captive Condition: A Novel,” was published and will be available for purchase and signing on Friday, as will Garriga’s “The Book of Duels.”
Richland Academy hosts “Fiddle and Fun” starring their newest instructor Darell Sanson and his band, Safire Sun at 5:30 p.m. Sanson will be present for meet and greets, and guests are encouraged to bring fiddles, banjos, mandolins or guitars to play together before the show begins. Free snacks and refreshments will also be provided.
Families can end their evenings at the Little Bo-Tique’s drive-in movie night sponsored by Mansfield First Assembly Church and Country Décor, where children have the opportunity to create their very own “cars” made out of cardboard boxes from The Boot Life. The movie “The Incredibles” will be shown starting at 7 p.m. in the shop’s back parking lot, with hot dogs and hot chocolate provided.
Rob Hawks, owner of the Little Bo-Tique with his wife Michele, said the idea for the drive-in movie came after they hosted a free pool party for families at the Crestline Pool this July.
“We loved doing a community event for families and young families,” said Hawks. “We know how important that is and how it can sometimes be costly to do a family outing, so we’re trying to offer young families an opportunity to get together and have a good time while being budget conscious.”
Hawks encourages families to make sure children are bundled up for the weather, and added that the Mansfield Police Department would be periodically driving by the back alley in the name of safety.
