Downtown Clinton gearing up for fall Clinch River Antique Festival Oct. 4-5
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Visitors to last October’s Clinch River Antique Festival line Market Street in downtown Clinton during the event. - G. Chambers Williams III
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A young visitor to last year’s fall Clinch River Antique Festival checks out items in one of the vendor booths on Market Street in downtown Clinton. - G. Chambers Williams III
It’s almost time again for the annual fall Clinch River Antique Festival, scheduled for Friday and Saturday Oct. 4-5 in downtown Clinton.
The event, sponsored by Historic Downtown Clinton, begins at noon Friday (Oct. 4) and runs until 8 p.m.
It then resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday, and continues until 4 p.m., with live music and other entertainment, street vendors, food trucks and trailers, food demonstrations, and special sales in Clinton’s popular downtown stores.
Events primarily take place on Main, Market and Cullom streets in the historic shopping district, and Market Street will be blocked to vehicular traffic both days.
More than 90 vendors will be on hand selling a variety of new and used merchandise, artisan goods, food and more.
There also will be various demonstrations of crafts and other activities.
“Easily our biggest event of the year, with hundreds of antique vendors lining Market Street, this year will be the biggest yet,” the Historic Downtown Clinton group says on its website. “It’s the perfect way to kick off the fall season.”
As usual, thousands of people are expected to attend, with many coming to see Clinton from out of town for the first time.
Among artisans already signed up for the event are Amanns Gothic, Artworks by K Roberts, Bad Chicks Smithing, Belfire, Briteyes Crafts, Claj Pens, Copper Crafter, Creations by Penelope, Darts Custom, Garden to Gourmet Goodness, Goofy Goat Soap, Gypsy Moon Leather, Handedness, Happy Hollow Photography, Jewelry by Renee, Jodi Hartman Art, Joy Chooser Designs, Just Horsin’ Around, Kitsch Candle & Coaster, Laurel Browning Art, Laurie Latham, Liv’s Stained Glass, Lois Trader Art, Mama Bear Sweet Treats, Open Kiln, Pines & Needles TN, Rabo Design, Renee’s Baked Delights, Retrotherapy, Riverbend Candle Co., Robin Buchanan, Scottish Blessings Farm, Signed Cricket, Simple Wish Creations, SJN Crafts, Spark & Saw Crafts, Spring Street Farm, The Johnston Ventures, The Wonderful Wizard of Art, Thoughtful Paws Co., Treats & Chill, Tree Lovers Co., and Valerie Pearce Studio.
Food vendors will include Bailey’s Beverage Bar, Doug’s Boiled Peanuts, Drink Smooth, Good Hombres, Hamock’s, Lions Club. Little Bird Macarons, Nut Hut, PopNotch Kettlecorn, Rainbo Funnel Cakes & Shaved Ice, Rhyno’s Roadside, Shirley’s Boy Country Cooking, Traveling Tom’s Coffee, and Waffley Good.
Live entertainment is being lined up for both days, and will include the groups 323 North Main, Fountain City Ramblers, The Singletons, Evie Fiddles, Redd & The Paper Flowers, and The Tenos.
Downtown merchants will be open and stocked with some specials offered just for the festival weekend.
Ample free parking is available in the Commerce Street parking lot, one block west of Market Street.
The city of Clinton also has opened a new parking lot on Main Street at North Hicks Street, which will be available for use by people attending the festival.
This year’s event will be the 23rd fall antique festival.
The only interruption since it began was in 2020, when the event was canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More information can be found at HistoricDowntownClinton.org.