Velinda Wheeles: ‘Downtown Opelika’ kicks off Friday

I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful weather we are having. The calendars say that summer is just around the corner, but in downtown Opelika summer will make its debut Friday night at “On The Tracks Food and Wine.”

In the past we have had “On The Tracks” in October, but so many expressed interest in having this event more often. You asked, we listened and now we invite you to join us downtown Friday, from 6 p.m. to midnight for our summer version of “On The Tracks.” We will have great restaurants such as In Italy, Ariccia, Gourmet Tiger, Café 123, Jimmy’s, Zazu and Amsterdam.

Great food needs great wine and we will have that along the trail at Koellsted Upholstery, Red Door June, L&M Interiors, Envy Salon, Southern Crossing, The Gallery, The Brass Brassiere, Fringe, Jackson Law Group, Mint Julep, Taylor Made Design, FlipFlopFoto, Heritage Gifts and Gourmet and Canine American. Live entertainment for the evening will be the Auburn University Steel Drum Band along with Summer Breeze.

All the shops will be open for late night shopping, so ticket info is all you need. Individual tickets are $25, but the best advice I can give you is grab nine other friends and buy a group table. Group tables are $300 and guarantees you a place for six hours. Order your tickets online at http://www.onthetracks.org.

Special thanks to our “On The Tracks” sponsors: Auburn-Opelika Tourism, Adams Beverages, Premium Beverages, Opelika-Auburn News, Qantum Communications, Rush Wines, Knight Rides Yamaha and Superior Portables.

May Noon Tunes begin Wednesday with Muse. Join us at noon on Courthouse Square Lawn for a free lunchtime concert.

On May 16 along South Railroad Avenue and 8th Street from 9 to 2 p.m., the streets will be filled with vehicles such as a fire engine, mobile command unit, ambulance, school bus, construction and military equipment, Post Office and UPS truck, and many more for the first Touch-A-Truck.

Children will be encouraged to touch, climb and explore the trucks and even honk the horn if they’d like. In lieu of admission, each child is asked to bring a new toy truck to be donated to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Toys-For-Tots Program. T-shirts and concessions will be available for purchase at a minimal cost. Don’t forget to bring your camera!

Touch-A-Truck is a joint project of Opelika Main Street, Opelika Chamber of Commerce, City of Opelika, Keep Opelika Beautiful, Rusty Sheehan State Farm and Red Door June Coffee and Floral and sponsors Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones, Smith T Building Supply, Melson Tractor Company, Grady’s Tire and Auto, Rusty Sheehan State Farm, Opelika Light and Power and E.A. Investments. Rain Date is June 13.

Also that day, East Alabama Living Magazine will be hosting the Railroad Avenue Bake Sale to benefit Share Our Strength’s Great American Bake Sale (a national effort to end childhood hunger in our community and across the country). For more information about what is going on in downtown Opelika visit http://www.opelikamainstreet.org

Velinda Wheeles is director of Main Street Opelika and writes a column for the Opelika-Auburn News.