October 16, 2009 An Evening of Art, Music, Shopping, Food & Fun Celebrate the fall season with a family night in Downtown Salisbury as Urban Salisbury's Arts & Entertainment Steering Committee joins with downtown merchants, restaurants, and arts organizations to present an evening for local residents and visitors to eat, drink, shop and enjoy art and entertainment with family and friends.

The fun begins on Friday, October 16th, at 5:00 p.m. when businesses, restaurants, and the Art Institute & Gallery will celebrate the fall season by staying open to welcome visitors with music, art displays, light refreshments, special discounts and children's activities. The Third Friday initiative was launched in July with an enthusiastic public response. Similar celebrations are held monthly in Arts & Entertainment Districts in Berlin, Cambridge, and Snow Hill.

The October Third Friday celebration will have an autumn/Halloween theme. In addition, Urban Salisbury is partnering with the City of Salisbury, the Salisbury Fire Department, Wicomico County Board of Education, Nabb Center for Delmarva History & Culture, and downtown businesses on FireFest 2009, which includes a Friday evening parade and commemorative ceremony at 6:30 p.m. at the Government Office Building to mark the 123rd anniversary of the second great fire that devastated downtown Salisbury.  In conjunction with the two themes, fire hats and Halloween masks will be presented to young children on a first-come, first-served basis.

Musical entertainment for the evening will feature a number of talented local and regional performers including Blue Light Special, Alex and Shiloh, Alex Wersen & Friends, the Near East Family, Mt. Organ, and Jake Travis/Alex DeMartin. Musicians will be interspersed along East and West Main Street in a "street fair" atmosphere, along with visual artists showcasing their original art work. A number of downtown restaurants will also feature live entertainment.

Third Friday will include other fun attractions including face painting and bowling with pumpkins at Parker Place, live music at Season's Best Antiques & Collectibles, and makeup demonstrations at Velvet Pearl.  Kuhn's Jewelers will host a book signing featuring author Mindie Burgoyne and her new publication Haunted Eastern Shore: Ghostly Tales from East of the Chesapeake - an opportunity for attendees to discover the otherworldly occupants of Maryland's Eastern Shore.

"Third Friday is a community effort with the ultimate goal of attracting people to restaurants and businesses to see what our downtown has to offer," said Connie Strott, Arts & Entertainment Steering Committee Chairperson. "Restaurants and shops will indicate their participation by displaying balloons at their entrances. We invite residents and visitors of all ages to join us for an evening of fun as community volunteers work cooperatively on the downtown renaissance initiative."

For more information on Third Friday and the Salisbury Arts & Entertainment initiative, call 410-860-0657.