September First Friday Celebrates Back to School With the Help of Local Education Institutions

MOUNT VERNON, Ohio – The First Friday season comes to a close at September First Friday! Experience Mount Vernon invites community members and visitors alike to the beautiful Central Business District of Mount Vernon for the Back to School Celebration to kick off the school year!
Great food, live music and family fun for all during the 2022 First Friday season. From 6-9pm on Friday, September 2nd, Central Ohio Technical College, Kenyon College, Knox County Career Center, Knox Technical Center and Mount Vernon Nazarene University join Experience Mount Vernon to present the final First Friday of 2022.
Experience Mount Vernon is excited to partner with the Mount Vernon Arts Consortium (MVAC) to present the First Friday Concert Series! The Concert Series will be featured on the Main Stage located between Park National Bank and PNC Bank facing Public Square.
Brought to you by Knox Community Hospital and Central Ohio Technical College, the Concert Series will feature Jersey, a Bruce Springsteen tribute band at the September event. This seven piece line up is excited to bring the music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to Downtown Mount Vernon!
A+ Autobrokers returns as the sponsor of the First Friday Cruise-Ins to keep the events FREE! Experience Mount Vernon has worked closely with several members of the local car enthusiast community to formulate a plan for this year. Cars should arrive no earlier than 4:30pm when streets will begin shutting down and no later than 6pm when the streets will be fully closed to traffic. Check experiencemv.org for more details on the Cruise-In.
The first ever Cindy’s Pierogis Jumbo Cream Puff Challenge is set to take place at 7pm at 1 West High Street. With an adult and child division, up to 20 participants will attempt to be crowned the challenge champion of 2022. Registration is now open on the Experience Mount Vernon Facebook page. The challenge is open to the first 10 participants in each Division.
The Activity Zone presented by YMCA of Mount Vernon, New Directions, MVNU Athletics, and PAKUnited has moved to South Main Street between Gambier and Ohio. Working with our partners to create activities, games and fun for all ages, September will feature several new activities never before seen at First Friday! Also featured in the Zone is the Edward Jones of Mount Vernon Touch-A-Truck! Be sure to swing by the South Main and Ohio Avenue intersection for a
picture with your local law enforcement representatives.
New to First Fridays for the 2022 season is the Community Corner presented by PNC BANK, Flapper Bar & Grille, New Directions & The Woodward Opera House. Located on West Gambier Street at the South Main Plaza, the Community Corner will feature local organizations promoting their events and previewing what is coming to Downtown Mount Vernon. The four sponsoring educational institutions will host a Department Fair on West Gambier promoting the exciting programs and initiatives available at each school. From educational activities to games and more, don’t miss out on the Community Corner in September! Across South Main on East Vine Street, MTVarts will be promoting their upcoming musical, Shrek from 6-8pm. Live performances, a couple opportunities to participate in a flash mob, and Arts
IQ challenges you to “Eat Like Shrek!”
KnoxPages.com is back for the 2022 season as the Knox Foodies First Friday Food Trail sponsor! Stop by the info table at the intersection of Vine and South Main to pick up your First Friday Food Trail Card, collect the required stamps by making a purchase at each zone, and return the completed card to the info table to be entered into a drawing for a gift card to a downtown dining establishment! Didn’t finish your card from June, July or August? Bring the card back and continue the trail at the September event!
Participate in the Apple Harvest Competition with participating merchants! Collect twelve apple cards hidden in retail shops throughout Downtown (1 apple card per participant per store), have the back signed and bring all twelve back to the information booth at the corner of Main and Vine Street to be entered into the drawing for a gift card to a downtown merchant!
Traffic will be closed one block north of Public Square, around the Square and on South Main Street down to Ohio Avenue starting at 4:00 p.m. If you have questions, please contact Downtown Manager, Anthony McNeal at 740-393-1481. Parking can be found at Public Lots located around the exterior of First Fridays. Lots on South Gay and Mulberry Streets as well as off of East High Street are open to public parking during the event. Experience Mount Vernon has partnered with Knox Public Health to host a Bike Valet station located in the Public Parking Lot at 20 East Ohio Avenue. As part of the Active Transportation Plan, both Experience & Knox Public Health encourage those who can bike, to take advantage of this FREE service!
Media Sponsors include Town Money Saver, KnoxPages.com, Mount Vernon News, 90.9 WNZR, 13WMVO, and Super Q 93.7.
To learn more about First Fridays, or to join the #experience, head to www.ExperienceMV.org.