‘Christmas in July’ event to be downtown Saturday; food truck rally is Thursday
The “Christmas in July” event will be held on Market Street in downtown Clinton on Saturday, July 27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Street vendors and food trucks will be set up all along the street, and the downtown stores will be offering an early look at Christmas merchandise. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
The event, sponsored by the Historic Downtown Clinton organization, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Market Street shut down to vehicular traffic for the day to accommodate street vendors and food trucks.
“Beat the heat this summer with a Christmas celebration,” the organization says on its website. “Even Santa and Mrs. Claus will be in a Hawaiian shirt! Kona Ice will be on hand and participating shops will have gorgeous Christmas displays and previews.”
Saturday’s event will be followed on Friday, Aug. 9, by the Sip of Summerfest event at the Kincaid House, 710 Eagle Bend Road, from 6-10 p.m.
It’s the third in a series of annual summer beer-tasting events also sponsored by the Historic Downtown Clinton group, featuring area breweries, live music, contests and more.
Tickets for that event are on sale now, and generally run $81.88.
Also coming this week is the next “Tasty Thursday Food Truck Rally” from 5-8 p.m. at 425 Eagle Bend Road, in the vacant lot next to the former Real Dry Cleaners building.
This Thursday’s food choices will include Hamock’s, Lobster Dogs, Catherine’s Catering, and Kona Ice.
The food truck rally will be repeated on Aug. 1 and Aug. 8, in the same place, which will be the parking lot next to where Hamock’s Restaurant will be opening soon.
Members of the Hamock family announced earlier this year that they would be opening their new restaurant in the former dry cleaners’ building probably by early next year.
But they have been setting up tables at local events to sell Darlene Hamock’s locally famous chicken salad and other dishes.
The next downtown merchants’ event will be August Market Night, which will be held from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10.
That event will be a repeat of the recent July Market Night, sponsored by the Historic Downtown Clinton Merchants Association, a separate organization.
In this event, Market Street again will be blocked to vehicular traffic, and there will be street merchandise and food vendors, as well as specials in the downtown stores, which will remain open all evening.