Three Columbus summer events will be combining this year on the same day in downtown Columbus, according to organizers.
Steve Leach, with Fun on Fourth LLC, says that the Main Source Bank BBQ, Blues and Brew will be combining with ArtFest and with the Firecracker 5k Race and all will be held on Saturday June 25th.
Now in its third year, the BBQ, Blues and Brew festival had more than 6,000 people attend last year. Artfest, which normally has been held in August, is moving to the same weekend to avoid competing with other regional art festivals and to join up with the BBQ festival. It will be taking place at Mill Race Park.
The 7th annual Firecracker 5k has normally been held on the last Saturday of June, but it was held at Tipton Lakes.
This year, the race will start at Mill Race Park and end at Fourth and Franklin streets, which will also be the east-side entrance for the barbecue festival. Quaffon Brewing Co. of Nashville will be offering a random $500 prize to one of the race finishers, with the award made from the stage of the festival.
The MainSource Bank BBQ Blues & Brew and the Columbus Artfest are free and family friendly events. The Firecracker 5k will still require pre-registration as well as a nominal fee, which also comes with a race shirt included.
You can get more information at www.columbusartfest.com