Main Street Roanoke Rapids will hold its inaugural First Friday series tomorrow from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Urban Greenspace — 1026 Roanoke Avenue.
It is a way to continue to activate the historic district, Main Street Development Director Ashley Thomas said at Tuesday’s city council meeting. It will feature Seven Springs Winery, Joe’s to Go, and Blend the Flavors. “It’s a community-oriented event to bring people together and just enjoy one another. It also looks at economic vitality to show people that the 1026 space is available to rent as well.”

The theme of Friday’s first event is Sips, Spurs & Salsa and will feature a wine tasting and karaoke. “We’ll just really be featuring those businesses to create consistency on the avenue.”
There will be two other First Friday events — one on October 2 and the other on November 6.
The October theme will be Mixtapes & Moscato while the November event will be Motown & Merlot.
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Thomas also discussed a $15,000 donation from Brightspeed, for which the council approved a budget amendment.
“The funds that we received will support district programming, marketing, district activation and, of course, public spaces, reusable event resources, and pilot projects.”
Brightspeed was a partner for the Liberty on Main event, said Amanda Briggs, chair of the Main Street Advisory Committee. “They were essential in helping us to provide a very fun, family-friendly atmosphere. We are in discussions on if we’re going to continue the tradition. There were a lot more people than we had expected, so it was great. We couldn’t have done that without Brightspeed, so we’re very appreciative of them.”