Don’t miss Third Thursday events this week

It’s coming soon — this week’s Third Thursday in downtown Manchester will be the first of four exciting events this summer, filled with music, hayrides, kids’ activities, food, fun, shopping, and a variety of vendors. This month, the June 16 event will also include a robotics demonstration, historic walking tours of the downtown area, a Chamber of Commerce mixer, and an eating competition at our own Manchester Diner!

Live music, starting at 5pm on the mill porch, will be presented by Jim Smith, followed by Billy Joe Hunt at 6pm and John Louis Good at 7pm. Crafts and small business vendors will be set up on Adrian Street along with the robotics teams, hayride pickups will be every 15 minutes or so at the corner of Main and Adrian, and kids can find fun activities in the alley between the Comerica Bank building and Dance With Heart Studios.

And, of course, there will be shopping at local businesses and great food at all the local eateries, the Manchester Area Historical Society Museum and Blacksmith Shop will be open from 5 to 8pm (with walking tours meeting at 6pm in front of the K-J House), and belly dancer Shannon Seidelman, a popular entertainment for several years at Third Thursdays, will return this year as well.

The Chamber of Commerce will be holding a mixer for its members and to promote itself to businesses that have not yet joined the Chamber at their booth on the corner of Adrian and Main. Stop by, play a game of corn hole, and learn about what the Chamber can do for your business!

The Manchester Diner will be hosting a food challenge for up to five people who are willing to try and slay the “Manchester Monster!“ Are you up to the task of finishing off this spread of epic proportions in 30 minutes or less?: one large waffle, a one-pound cheeseburger, half a pound of chorizo, one pound of corned beef, French fries, coleslaw, four chicken strips, and four eggs.

Pre-register by June 14; the entry fee is $25. Prize will be a T-shirt saying “I Slayed the Manchester Monster,“ your picture on the wall of the Diner, and full bragging rights! Complete contest rules are available at the Diner or via Facebook Messenger.

There will likely be lots more big things happening on Thursday! Restaurants are planning special food offerings and the Social District is OPEN! So Make it Manchester this week and enjoy all that our community has to offer.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.