Wine Down Main Street 10 presented by Hallmark Volkswagen is scheduled for Friday, November 5, 2010 from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. This ten year anniversary is a special celebration and an opportunity to look back over the last nine years, and an opportunity for consumers to win FREE TICKETS on the website.
Mike Hyland recalls “In early 2001 Phyllis and I were operating Full Court Press, a public relations company. I got a call from Barbara Kurland who was operating Strange (and wonderful) Things, an interesting shop on Main Street. Barbara said that her daughter, Amy Kurland, owner of the Bluebird Café (one of our clients), told her to call us to see if we could help generate more customer traffic to Main Street in Franklin. We set up a meeting and met with Barbara, Faye Snodgrass, Jan Erickson, Janice Swartz, Peggy Smith and Sheri Gramer, who we later called “The Main Street 6.”
After brainstorming for a few days, Phyllis came up with the idea of a progressive wine tasting, using the shops as pouring stations, and offering food from local restaurants as well. The idea was to keep the people moving so that they could see what each store has to offer. Most wine tastings at the time were held in hotel ballrooms or other large rooms. We offered a new idea to help promote Main Street and raise funds for the Boys & Girls Club. The ladies loved the idea, and Wine Down Main Street was born. Our first event, in November of 2001, sold 500 tickets (all that we had printed) and turned out to be an incredible success. Each successive year, the event grew larger and more organized, and we think it’s pretty safe to say that Wine Down Main Street is the best night out all year!”
The Downtown Franklin Merchants will again host thousands of consumers during the most unique wine tasting event in the area. A complete list of participating merchants is listed on the event website at www.winedownmainstreet.com. There will be approximately 40 wine tasting stations featuring hundreds of wines and 20 area restaurants. Tickets include all wine, beer and food tastings.
General Admission tickets for the main event are $75 in advance until October 29, 2010 and will go up to $85 per person at 12:00am on October 30, 2010. A complete wine list will be available online. Advance tickets are limited and available online at www.WineDownMainStreet.com and are also available at several area businesses (check website for a complete list).
The “Main Street 6” were asked to comment on the 10 year anniversary of the event as well. All of the “Main Street 6” (with the exception of Barbara Kurland, who is out of the country) have fond memories of the event and are excited about what the event has meant for the merchants, the Boys & Girls Club and all that have attended over the last nine years.
When asked how the Wine Down Main Street event has benefited the merchants downtown, Jan Erickson of Franklin Tea says, “Wine Down Main Street brings people downtown who may not be familiar with all that Main Street has to offer but also offers an opportunity for our regular customers to experience the street in a different setting. It is, in addition, great fun for the merchants to throw a party and enjoy the warm, relaxing evening with folks who are having a good time while supporting a worthy cause.”
Faye Snodgrass Tevebaugh of Faye Snodgrass Gallery was asked how the downtown Franklin area has changed over the last ten years. She feels that “Although Main Street has always been attractive and offered a variety of nice shops, it seems the quality and variety of the shops and restaurants and services has become more outstanding. The offerings are definitely ‘2010’ and the variety and quality are extremely outstanding. Also, more shops have been added off the main Street corridor. Offerings are expanded to exciting little shops on side streets up and down from 1st Avenue to Five Points and beyond. The environment seems to have a friendlier feel to it. Our merchants seems to be more appreciative of the customers and tourists who frequent our shops. Customer service has become more apparent; from friendly greetings as you enter the shops, to complimentary gift wrap in many shops, to the opportunity to be on email lists, etc.”
Wine Down Main Street has made a big impact on the local Boys & Girls Club in the Franklin area. Peggy Smith, owner of Peggy’s Place and a board member for the Boys & Girls Club of Franklin / Williamson County tells us why it so important: “Wine Down Main Street is the Boys & Girls Club’s major fund raising event. The past year has stretched our services to young people because the need has increased with the recession. Our dream is to have an addition to our Club so that we can offer more activities for teens as well.”
After 10 years of Wine Down Main Street, many have enjoyed the event and look forward to every November and the fond memories they will make while there sharing the evening with friends. However, Sheri Gramer at Yarrow Acres keeps the big picture in mind. She says what stands out to her the most of all years was, “the first check we presented to the Boys & Girls Club is my favorite memory. It was so emotional seeing the happiness in their eyes.”
If you have yet to go to Wine Down Main Street, take it from Janice Swartz of The Cellar, who advises, “You should definitely attend!”
For a chance to win a pair of FREE TICKETS, consumers can visit the www.winedownmainstreet.com website and submit your favorite memory from the last nine years of Wine Down Main Street. One lucky winner will be selected on Thursday, October 28, 2010 one day prior to the ticket price increase (Friday, October 29th is the last chance to buy tickets at $75 each).
Since 2001, Wine Down Main Street has raised more than $840,000 for the Boys & Girls Club of Franklin/Williamson County and Fairview Boys & Girls Club. Both Clubs are United Way agencies and members of The Boys & Girls Clubs of Middle Tennessee.
For 2010, Main Street will again be closed from Second Avenue to Fifth Avenue.
Hallmark Volkswagen presents Wine Down Main Street sponsored by Lipman Brothers in conjunction with Franklin’s Main Street Merchants. Additional sponsors include Zycron; Carpet Den Interiors; Franklin Synergy Bank; Avenue Bank; Boyle Investment Group; Buerger, Moseley & Carson; TN Commerce Bank; Williamson Herald; Nashville Lifestyles; VIP Williamson County; Williamson A.M./The Tennessean; JLB Works; and Franklinis.com.