FRANKLIN, Ind. — A new event is bringing business, entertainment and excitement to Johnson County.
Starting Friday, March 1, Downtown Franklin is hosting "Shop the Blocks - First Fridays Open Late."
On the first Friday of every month, dozens of downtown businesses will stay open late, until at least 8 p.m., offering deals and discounts.
"That includes all kinds of retail shops," said Danny Causey, the executive director of Discover Downtown Franklin. "There's lots of good spots."
So far, more than 30 locations are staying open late. Causey said that is in addition to the businesses who are already open in the evenings.
"There will be over 50 locations open late, so there's going to be a lot of stuff to do," Causey said.
Causey said in addition to the shopping and dining, visitors can expect live music throughout downtown. Artists will also be set up along the sidewalks, rain or shine.
"I think that it's truly going to be a total city experience," Causey said.
Shop the Blocks is a partnership between Discover Downtown Franklin and Festival Country Indiana, located in downtown Franklin.
"We had an international tourism expert who has been to 2,500 communities, and he loved Franklin," said Ken Kosky, executive director of Festival Country. "He said there's just a few things you need to clean up. Have the stores be open late. Beautify a few more blocks. Have more days of programming, music and things like that. So with this Shop the Blocks - First Friday, we accomplish all three at once."
Causey said he hopes this event will connect more Hoosiers to downtown Franklin.
"We're ready to take it to that next level, and that is opening later," Causey said.
"A lot of people are busy like me and work during the day, and we would love to do a lot of that shopping and some of those things," Causey said. "This offers people like me the chance to get out at night and experience what everyone else does during the day."
For the latest updates on Shop the Blocks, Causey suggests following Discover Downtown Franklin on Facebook or Instagram.
"Come down," Causey said. "Check a movie out at The Artcraft Theatre. Have a beer at one of our many great local establishments. We have a ton of restaurants, too, in addition to the retail shops that will be open late."
Kosky said the Festival Country Indiana Visitor Center, located at 66 S. Water St. in Franklin, will also be open late.
"We have free eclipse glasses," Kosky said. "You can get a free photo to remember your time in Franklin in our photo booth."