“I think it succeeded because the public was looking for a family friendly event,” Roanoke Rapids Main Street Development Director Christina Caudle said today. “We have an amazing talent pool who are able to put that on display. We’re hoping to do this more frequently.”
Arts on the Avenue kicks off at 5 p.m. and will end at 8 p.m.
Sixteen businesses primarily in the 900 and 1000 blocks of Roanoke Avenue will host artists or have musicians performing outside.
The event coincides with the Halifax County Arts Council Student Art Show which will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the council’s gallery at 1027 Roanoke Avenue. Students from KIPP, Northwest and Roanoke Rapids high schools will display their works. Light refreshments will be served.
Caudle said most of the Arts on the Avenue artwork will be displayed inside the host businesses. There will be some artists doing demonstrations outside. An event map will be available at the Main Street tent at 1026 Roanoke Avenue.
Artwork displayed during the event will range from watercolors to abstracts and oils. There will also be jewelry and photography on display. The artists represent the local community as well as the lake, Caudle said.
Musicians will be playing a range of music, from pop to country and Christian.
Caudle said response to last year’s event was overwhelmingly favorable. “We received 100 percent positive feedback from the artists to the general public and the businesses. All three components were very happy.”
The event will also give Main Street a chance to highlight some of the properties available on the avenue, she said.
“Last spring’s very successful Arts on the Avenue and Student Art Show attracted hundreds of community members to enjoy the art and music provided in the businesses and along the sidewalks as well as the extraordinary work of our talented high school students in the gallery,” the arts council said in a statement.