The organizers of the upcoming Main Street Arts and Wine Festival hope it will give downtown Oxford some additional “street cred” for those interested in finding family-friendly activities to enjoy.
Pierre Gagne and Charlie Vaughan are part of the group putting together the event, which will take place on Saturday, Apr. 23 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The event is free; tickets to participate in the wine-tasting are available for purchase now for $30. Gagne, owner of The Hub on Main, told John C. Rose on Thursday’s Town Talk that organizers came up with the idea a couple of years ago, and now that COVID-19 restrictions have eased, they felt the time was right to put the plan into action.
“We’d been playing around with concepts,” Gagne said. “Just folks gathering together, things that people like to do.” Combining art and wine tasting, he said, “will get families to come and spend time together.”
Gagne also is president of the Downtown Oxford Economic Development Commission, said it takes teamwork. The group represents all the downtown businesses, who choose to participate in a variety of ways. The annual Hot Sauce Contest envelops most of the downtown area, but this afternoon festival will have a smaller footprint just around Main Street.
“Isolating small sections of town on a more consistent basis” is a way to invite participants in to enjoy what Oxford has to offer. “They see a significant increase in foot traffic,” Gagne said, referring to the business, restaurant and shop owners during events that are held in the downtown area.
Vaughan is the director of the Oxford Arts Council and she is organizing the art portion of the festival. She said folks will get a chance to see the artists at work. “They see everything that goes into it before they purchase a piece of art – and realize it’s not something that’s done in five minutes,” she said.
Artists will showcase handmade bags, paintings, drawings, jewelry and more, Vaughan said. There also will be children’s art activities throughout the afternoon.
There will be live music throughout the afternoon, as well as food trucks offering “gourmet” hotdogs, barbecue and ice slushies. The majority of wines to be shared by the vendors during the festival will be available by the bottle at The Hub on Main. Tobacco Wood Brewing Co. also will be on site with some beer tastings as well, Gagne said.
“(Oxford’s) been hanging out under the radar for the last couple of years,” Gagne said. “We like to say we’re one of the best kept secrets of the Triangle – maybe that secret’s starting to get out.” First-time visitors may come for a particular event, but “once they come and see the charm of downtown Oxford, we usually see them come back,” Gagne said.
Find out more on The Hub on Main’s Facebook page, Oxford Arts Center Facebook page or email oxfordartscenter@gmail.com.
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