Festival on the Square hosts summer fun for locals

BY KADIE TAYLOR

THE LAFAYETTE SUN

LANETT — The Valley Local is continuing to support local food trucks and vendors while providing family fun with three Festival on the Square events this summer. 

Locals can find tasty treats and shop small on June 14, July 12 and Sept. 13 from 3 to 6:30 p.m. ET at 105 N. Lanier Ave. in Lanett. Vendors include The Valley Thrift Store, Lee’s Lemonade, Cookies & More by Tyren, Hazel Hat Co., Daq Attack and more. 

“This is our third year doing this as we partner with the city of Lanett,” said Director of the Valley Local Sara Crutchfield. “We will have food trucks and vendors downtown at a square near the water fountain that will line the street.”

Crutchfield said the Valley Local will also host a Bingo fundraiser for locals to play, win and give back.

“We host Bingo inside the event center, and Bingo is our fundraiser to raise money to give back to the community,” she said. “We accept Bingo donation prizes. If any business or organization would like to donate any prizes, we appreciate that. We also use this as an opportunity to purchase items from the locally-owned businesses to be able to support them as well. Also, we have a guest who will be coming to call Bingo this year.”

Fun for all, Crutchfield said the community attendance for the Festival on the Square events has grown, establishing it as a cherished community event. 

“It's definitely growing,” she said. “We have learned that the more you continue to do something, the more word gets out and the more people start to attend, and so we're super excited about that.”

For locals looking for a fun summer activity, Crutchfield said community members can gather with family and friends for a fun Festival on the Square evening. 

“The Festival on the Square events give locals a central location to have everyone out and about and mingling with one another,” she said. “We have tables and chairs that we put out in the shaded areas on the sidewalks of the square, and it's very pretty, and it allows everyone to enjoy being in the community together, but also be able to eat with their families, enjoy live music and enjoy the Sunday afternoon together before starting the next week.”

Along with fun summer nights, Crutchfield said she also hopes the Festival on the Square events offer a space for information and education for those in attendance. 

“We are very much community-oriented, and we love to see families just get outdoors and be together, running into one another and catching up,” she said. “We typically have inflatables and stuff, along with face painting, so it's fun for the whole family just to get out and enjoy shopping at local businesses with the vendors. Some vendors are educational resources that we've invited, like the Humane Society and other organizations. We like to have them come to educate the community on what they have to offer. We hope that this can be a way, not only to educate the community on different resources that we have here, but also to bring to light the small businesses that might not have a brick and mortar yet, and hope that they grow into needing one, which brings more jobs to our area as well.”

With summer beginning, Crutchfield said she is already accepting sponsorships for the Back To School Bash on Aug. 1 at the Valley Rams Stadium. To enquire about sponsorships, contact Crutchfield via Facebook.

For more information, visit The Valley Local - Event and Main Page on Facebook.