Art Walk on West Walnut
09.16.2022 - Well, my dear friends, the first ever Shoppes of West Walnut very first Art Walk held on Friday, September 16th was a resounding success! Never has there been such an assembly of authentic homemade/ handmade art and restaurant fare in Smithville before Friday night’s gala.
From my perspective the significant number of people who showed up to take in the atmosphere of West Walnut Street as it transitioned to another space and time, with smiling, happy patrons meandering under the string lights, listening to light jazz live music, and finding a potential art, antique or sensory “treasure” every few steps they took…such a very pleasant and peaceful vibe!
To round off the perfect ambiance of the evening’s experience, excellent MTSU-related musicians played mainstream jazz at just the perfect volume and intensity to perfectly fit the occasion. Partial members of the Cerulean Soul Jazz Band playing at the Art Walk were: Sam Glover (Guitarist), Bailey Johnstone (Bassist), and Marguerite Bean (Vocalist)...just perfect sets and tasty song selections as usual from these talented young performers. And for those that shut down the streets, Cerulean Soul gravitated to the Flatwoods Stage inside The Harvester Event Center for an extended set that found dozens enjoying the authentic heartfelt, soulful stylings which is signature to this talented group, well into the night.
The ambiance and local vibration exuded from up and down the street: cocktails, food, music, art and a consortium of this emerging Smithville Center Hill Lake community that support this type of community affair. Again, an eclectic mix of people and backgrounds from all over who now call DeKalb County home. The mix of both local and transplants to our town is an amazing vibe and culture and with this good energy, all things are possible. Spread the word y’all: Historic Downtown Smithville is Open for Business.
For me, as a lover of Americana and the Arts of the same, Friday night was especially pleasant seeing such a robust and enthusiastic turnout of folks to support The Shoppes of West Walnut was to witness a celebration of mutual appreciation and respect for authentic art - Local Shane Brock provided his personal collection of genuine paintings by Renoir, Dali, Whistler, and other renowned artists that were on display for all to see, at no charge! In addition was a vintage hand-carved Tusk on loan from Crede Colgman. This co-operative event is also testament to what enterprising business people can create when working together as a team towards a common goal. As my associates at Bert Driver’s Burlap Room and the Harvester hear me say adnauseam – “A rising tide raises all ships”. The Art Walk Event was EXACTLY the type of cultural and art-related events I feel our community needs to present to our mutual potential target clientele in our local and surrounding Upper Cumberland areas. Well done, Ladies and Gentlemen! I, for one, am very proud to be even a small part of the success of the Shoppes of West Walnut Art Walk, and look forward to supporting this group on many more successful and varied future events. What’s next??!!
The Shoppes of West Walnut are: Creation Station • Legacy Haus • The Purple Door Antiques & Uniques (contributor of Best Display $25.00 prize for exhibiting Artists–Winning Artist: Gary Burklow, Curious Beasties/ Secondhand Frog) • Ace’s Steakhouse • Erin’s Art Gallery • Cheryl’s Beau Bee Restaurant (contributor of Best in Show $25.00 prize for exhibiting Artists–Winning Artist: Lara Cottrell) • Vintage Owl • Button Willow • The Attic • Harvester Performance and Event Center
We’ll be back at the Burlap Room on Saturday, October 8, for Dia de los Muertos, our last event of the Burlap Room’s 2022 Concert Series, but more events will carry us through the rest of the year and into 2023 at the Harvester, starting with Comedy Night on September 29, with Host Amber Autry, Opener Carlette Jennings, and Headliner Monty Mitchell. And join us again at the Harvester on October 22 for October Skies Art Festival - more info here. Stay up-to-date with all the events in the Bert Driver Network (Nursery, Burlap Room, and the newly-opened Harvester Event Center) by signing up for our Burlapper Newsletter. All tickets for all Burlap Room and Harvester Event Center can be purchased at burlaproom.eventbrite.com.
