The Kubota – a necessary piece of festival equipment. As well as a status symbol of sorts; only the coolest members of the festival crew can be seen cruising downtown. Which is why you’ll often see Philip Mize fly by in a blaze of orange… because [...]
Clarksville, TN. – April 18, 2012 – Road closures for this week have been announced for the 10th Annual Rivers & Spires Festival in downtown Clarksville. The following streets will be closed:
Wednesday, April 18 Beginning at 7 a.m.
Public Square in front of F&M Bank
Thursday, April 19 Beginning at 7 a.m.
All of Public Square
Franklin Street from First Street to Public Square
First Street from Franklin Street to Main Street
Strawberry Alley
Friday, April 20 Beginning at 7 a.m.
On Friday, Downtown will be blocked off from Public Square to Fourth Street and Madison Street to Main Street.
The streets will be closed until Sunday morning, April 22, at 7:00 a.m.
Parking
Available parking includes, Cumberland Plaza; APSU lots off University Avenue; First Baptist Church lot off of Commerce Street; bank lots beginning Saturday. Handicapped parking is available in the parking garage off Commerce Street in front of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department on the first level. It is accessible from Riverside Drive. Please be mindful of the private and residential parking in downtown area.
About the Festival
Limited seating is available around the event. Festival-goers are urged to bring their own folding or camping chairs. It is also recommended that attendees buy their food and drink tickets early to avoid long lines. Tickets for food and beverages will go on sale at various booths throughout downtown when the Festival opens. Recycle bins will also be placed throughout the Festival.
The Festival will take place rain or shine. Festival hours are:
Thursday, April 19 5:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Friday, April 20 5:00 – 11:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 21 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
The 10th Annual Rivers & Spires Festival, April 19-21 in downtown Clarksville, is free and open to the public. The Festival features six stages of music and entertainment, arts and crafts, marketplace, food vendors, and activities for all ages. For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.riversandspires.com.
Clarksville TN- The ‘Wounded Warrior Welcome Project’ was formed in 2011 to welcome home injured soldiers who were returning to Middle Tennessee. The Project has organized welcome home more than a half dozen soldiers returning from their stays at Army Medical Hospitals in DC and Texas. In addition we made 4 trips to Walter Reed Medical Hospital in 2011 and will be making 2 more this year.
This Friday, the 20st of April, the Wounded Warrior Welcome Project and the 101st Airborne Division Association, will be teaming up with ‘Wall to Wall’ to welcome two wounded warriors to Clarksville during Rivers and Spires. The riders of Wall to Wall will arrive at the main stage of Rivers and Spires at 930pm on Friday the 20st of April, 2012 for special presentations.
The Wall to Wall Cross Country Bicycle Ride is a 4,263 mile journey across the southern half of the United States by two Iraq War Veterans. Wesley Barrientos who is a 3 time Iraq War Veterans and a 3 time Purple Heart Recipient and a Double amputee. Jeremy Staat who is retired NFL Player, a United States Marine, friend and former teammate of Pat Tillman’s and an Iraqi War Veteran will be riding a standard bicycle and hand crank bicycle across our great nation. Visit their website and track their progress at www.walltowallbicycleride.com.
“The sacrifice that these men have made for our Nation is something we will never be able to repay. The fact that they are taking on such a huge mission with this bike ride is a reflection on the strength and character of these Heroes. I want to encourage our entire community to welcome them Clarksville.” – Clarksville City Councilman Nick Steward
Staat and Barrientos are setting set out to inspire and motivate Americans of all ages with four causes: (1) awareness and support for United States veterans through veteran organizations; (2) veteran suicide awareness; (3) the need for veteran centers on all U.S. college campuses; and (4) childhood obesity awareness.
The riders of Wall to Wall will arrive at the Public Square Stage stage of Rivers and Spires at 930pm on Friday the 20st of April, 2012.
The Rivers & Spires Brewfest will feature 70 beer brands and introduce several new beers making their debut at the two-day, outdoor beer festival.
Scheduled for Friday and Saturday, April 20-21, the inaugural event will have craft beers, food and entertainment. A highlight of the festival is a free concert on Saturday night by Little Big Town.
“Among the 70 beers available for tasting at Brewfest, we will unveil three new beers,” Paul Turner, with Ajax Distributing and an event organizer, said. “Attendees can taste the new Blue Moon Pale Moon, New Castle Summer Ale and Sam Adams Whitewater IPA.”
Other beers to be sampled include: Bridgeport IPA, Blackstone APA, Blackstone St. Charles Porter, Blackstone Nut Brown Ale, Blackstone Chaser Pale, Angry Orchard Apple Ginger Cider, Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Cider, Schlafly Dry Hopped APA, Schlafly Kolsch, Schlafly Oatmeal Stout, Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy and 60 others on the Brewfest website.
Brewfest will be held in downtown Clarksville at the corner parking lot of Main and Third Street from 6 to 9 pm Friday, April 20, and 4 to 8 pm on Saturday, April 21. There are a limited number of tickets for sale on both days. You can purchase tickets in advance online at riversandspires.com/events/brewfest. Tickets are $20 each day and you must show an ID at the gate with your ticket and to pick up your commemorative beer mug.
For more information about Brewfest, visit riversandspires.com website, or contact brewfest@riversandspires.com.
The Rivers & Spires Festival is pleased to announce Austin Peay State University Junior, Lucas Freeze as the winner of the 2013 Festival Poster Design project.
Freeze was a part of a class project, through the APSU Design Center, that came up with several comps of artwork for the 2013 Festival poster.
The class, under the direction of Assistant Professor Mark DeYoung, began working on the project in January. Representatives from the Festival met with the students and presented the ideas and look they wanted captured in the final piece of artwork. The students were given the task to each come up with concepts which would be critiqued, edited and then submitted as final designs to be judged by a committee of Rivers & Spires officials.
“We were fortunate to work with such a talented group of students this year, and had a very difficult decision selecting the final piece of artwork,” said Festival Director, Doug Barber. “Lucas’ piece, we felt, really encompassed the look and vibe of the Festival and will be a great piece to use in next year’s promotional material.”
The selected artwork will be used in the 2013 Festival poster as well as fliers, marketing material and other printed collateral. Other members of the class who submitted artwork are Theresa Biermann, Steven Lafferty, Susan Liberatore, Briana MacArthur, Oscar Quintanilla and Danielle Spoon.
About the Festival:
The 10th annual Rivers & Spires Festival will be held April 19-21, 2012 in Downtown Clarksville. This event has six stages of entertainment with over 100 entertainers performing all three days. From children’s activities, arts & crafts, car shows, military exhibits, brewfest, shopping and so much more this is truly an event for the whole family. Admission to the festival is free including all games, activities and concerts.
For more information about Rivers & Spires contact Doug Barber at 931-245-4344 or e-mail dbarber@clarksville.tn.us or visit us at www.riversandspires.com
The search is on for this year’s Miss River Queen and River Teen. The annual pageant will be held March 24, 2012 in Clement Auditorium on the campus of Austin Peay State University. The pageant begins at 7 p.m., and doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person and may be purchased at the door.
2011 River Queen Giselle Fontenot and River Teen Sarah Gross will be handing over their crowns to the new queens that night. The winners of the event will serve as ambassadors to the Rivers & Spires Festival, held in downtown Clarksville April 19-21. They will available to sign autographs and will be a part of the Children’s Parade. The winners will also advance to the Miss Tennessee USA or Teen USA pageants to be held October 5-6, 2012 at APSU. For more information about the Miss River Queen Pageant, contact Nikki Loos Peterson at (931) 221-7291 or petersonnn@apsu.edu.
For more information about the Rivers & Spires Festival, visit riversandspires.com. Become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @riversandspires and join our text club by texting ‘SPIRES’ to 68255.
All visitors to Rivers & Spires 2012 are invited to participate in The Leaf-Chronicle/Rivers & Spires Photo Contest. The contest is a way for all local photographers to show off their images and help capture all the fun and excitement of the annual Rivers & Spires Festival.
A panel of local professionals will judge the contest and prizes will be awarded for First Place, $200; Second Place, $100; and Third Place, $50. Participants must agree that all entries may be displayed in photo galleries on TheLeafChronicle.com and the photos may be republished by The Leaf-Chronicle and may be used by River & Spires for future promotional materials. The winning photo will be submitted to the International Festival & Events Association for judging in the International Festival Photo Awards Competition.
Here’s how it works
• Photographers can submit their top digital images taken during the festival, April 19-21, 2012. Photographers may submit up to five entries.
• The digital images must have been shot during the Rivers & Spires Festival 2012, April 19-21.
• Images can include any shots such as events, activities, performances, people or simply interesting scenes during the festival.
• Digital images must be submitted online at TheLeafChronicle.com, and be accompanied by your full name and an active e-mail address for notification purposes.
• Photo file size must be at least 500k but no more than 6 MB.
• The deadline for submitting photos is 5 p.m. Friday, April 27.
• Winners will be notified via e-mail by Friday, May 11, and must agree to attend an awards presentation.
How To Submit Photos
Starting Thursday, April 19, participate in The Leaf-Chronicle/Rivers & Spires Photo Contest by submitting your best festival photos by clicking the “Submit Your Photo” link at TheLeafChronicle.com. You will find the gallery in a specially marked section of “Don’t Miss” at TheLeafChronicle.com.
Rivers & Spires Festival organizers announced today the addition of a new event for 2012. In recognition of the Festival’s 10th anniversary, Brewfest, an event where attendees can sample a variety of craft beers, has been added to the spring Festival’s celebrations. According to Rivers & Spires Festival manager Doug Barber, it was Jeff Turner of Ajax Distributing Company who encouraged the city to add the new event.
“Coors Light has been the Festival’s lead sponsor for several years. We wanted to add something new to the 2012 Festival to celebrate our 10th anniversary,” Barber said. “Jeff generously offered to help us organize and launch a craft beer festival.”
Craft beer festivals, which have long been popular throughout Germany and other European countries, are now one of the fastest growing events in the United States. Numerous festivals have sprung up in Middle Tennessee over recent years.
“Our company has observed the growth of beer festivals throughout the area,” Turner said. “We thought it was a perfect event to add to Rivers & Spires. We are glad to be a part of bringing this type of celebration to Clarksville.”
Brewfest will have a designated area on the corner of Third and Main Streets. About 25 brewers are expected to participate in Brewfest and provide tastings of more than 50 different craft beers. In addition to the opportunity to sample a variety of beers, there will be entertainment, beer and food paring presentations, beer educational sessions conducted by brew masters, and drawings for great prizes.
“Brewfest is an event for both the serious beer lover and the festival attendee looking for a new experience,” Barber said.
Brewfest will be held Friday, April 20, from 6 to 9 pm, and on Saturday, April 21, from 4 to 8 pm. Brewfest tickets are $20 a day. Tickets for Friday and Saturday admission go on sale Saturday morning, March 10, at 10 am. Tickets can be purchased online at riversandspires.com. Organizers say there are a limited number of tickets available for both Friday and Saturday. They expect tickets to sell out quickly based upon the popularity of this type of event in other Middle Tennessee cities.
The Rivers & Spires Festival wants you to enter to win a chance to meet Little Big Town on Saturday, April 21, 2012 before they take the stage at 9 p.m.
To enter for your chance to win, go online to www.riversandspires.com and click on the Enter To Win tab. Fill out the form field and submit for your chance to meet the award winning group and a free nights stay at the Riverview Inn.
About the Festival:
The 10th annual Rivers & Spires Festival will be held April 19-21, 2012 in Downtown Clarksville. This event has six stages of entertainment with over 100 entertainers performing all three days. From children’s activities, arts & crafts, car shows, military exhibits, jazz and wine, shopping and so much more this is truly an event for the whole family. Admission to the festival is free including all games, activities and concerts.
For more information about Rivers & Spires contact Doug Barber at 931-245-4344 or e-mail dbarber@clarksville.tn.us or visit us at www.riversandspires.com
Become a fan of us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @RIVERSandSPIRES.
Rivers & Spires is an award-winning FREE festival with live music, interactive entertainment, activities for the kids and great food held in historic downtown Clarksville, Tenn.
