Coming back for the fourth month this summer, the Third Thursdays event is happening this Thursday in downtown Danville.

A new event that started in April by the Heart of Danville, many businesses downtown are staying open late from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with other special events going on.

The event helps promote downtown businesses, and helps them find new customers who may not be able to come during normal business hours. It brings together community members for a simple, fun night out.

The Boyle County Farmers Market will be having a pop-up mini-market with local produce, baked goods, meats, and crafts. They will be on Third Street between Main and Walnut. The street will be closed to vehicle traffic.

Heart of Danville Director Mary Conley said the pop-up farmers market has slowly grown over the summer, as awareness increases. She said they are expecting a good turnout for market vendors this month.

Third Thursdays allows alcoholic drinks to be taken outside in the Downtown Danville Entertainment District (DDED) from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. People may take a drink to go that they purchased from a downtown establishment while they walk around or eat dinner outside.

Alcoholic drinks are not allowed in retail stores, and are only allowed in the boundaries of the DDED. The boundaries are Main Street between Second and Fourth; and Third and Fourth Streets between Walnut and Broadway.

“The merchants are pleased about the foot traffic the entertainment district has generated,” Conley said.

Another community event happening is the “Where’s Waldo?” hunt that started July 1 by Plaid Elephant books. People can pick up a Find Waldo passport at Plaid Elephant, then search for Waldo cutouts hiding at 24 downtown businesses.

When people find a Waldo, they can post a selfie of them with Waldo and post it with the hashtag #FindWaldoDanville. Posts on that day only will be entered in a drawing for Downtown Dollars gift certificates, which are redeemable at participating downtown businesses. People can get a bonus entry if they are wearing red and white.

The Curry Kitchen, a food truck that serves Indian food, will be set up in the parking lot of the Art Center of the Bluegrass. Poppin’ J’s, which sells kettle corn and lemonade in multiple flavors, will be set up in front of Cerci on Main.

“As quickly as information travels, we have not heard any complaints that the restaurants are feeling any adverse repercussions from having food trucks downtown,” Conley said. “It just offers another fun option for outdoor dining.”

The Urban Innovation team at CentreWorks, which has been conducting interviews with citizens about how to make downtown parking better, have developed a prototype for parking based on community ideas. The team will be presenting their prototype at CentreWorks from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, where they will gather more feedback from the community.

The “Dave Carey Band” will be playing at Cerci on Main from 5:00 – 8:00 pm. The Art Center of the Bluegrass will be offering an outdoor “plein air” art activity in the lot behind their building. It ties into their current exhibit “En Plein Air” which features artwork by the Plein Air Artists of Central Kentucky.

Among other things, the Centre College Bookstore will be having a big sale on art supplies; and Jamie Lee’s Tees will be popping up with their tie-dyed shirts and accessories inside Plaid Elephant; The Skin Salon is having express facials; and Carol’s Bridal is having a wedding gown sale.

A full list of businesses that will be open during the event is below.

Retail and Service:

• A & L Accessories

• Anderson’s Boutique

• Art Center of the Bluegrass

• Bran’s Boutique

• Carol’s Bridal & Gifts

• CAMP, LLC

• Centre Bookstore

• CentreWorks

• Cerci on Main

• Derby Shoppe and Raggs

• Front Porch CBD Cafe

• Full Circle Fitness

• HairNation

• Hearth and Easel

• Plaid Elephant Books

• Revitalize by Mira

• The Skin Salon

• The Studio

• Maple Tree Gallery

Restaurants:

• Bluegrass & Buttercream

• Bluegrass Pizza & Pub

• Boogie Knight’s

• Bricks and Brews

• Copper & Oak

• Dry Stack Coffee

• Gypsy Run Brewery

• Harvey’s

• La Cosa Nostra

• The Hub Coffee House & Cafe

• Tut’s