3,000 People Met Us on 8th — And Aynor Showed Up in a Big Way
When the Aynor Area Chamber of Commerce began planning Meet Me on 8th, the idea was pretty simple: close a block of 8th Avenue, bring in food trucks and live music, give the kids something fun to do and invite people to bring a chair and stay awhile. We hoped the community would embrace the idea. What we didn’t expect was approximately 3,000 people showing up to do exactly that.
By early evening, 8th Avenue was filled with families, friends and neighbors. Chairs lined the street, kids moved from one activity to the next, and people who may have originally planned to stop by for dinner found themselves staying for the evening. For a first-time event, the response was far beyond what we anticipated, and the atmosphere downtown was exactly what we had hoped Meet Me on 8th could create.
On the Main Stage, JamieLynn & Carolina SunSet kept the crowd entertained with everything from Dolly Parton and Ella Langley to Michael Jackson. Before long, people weren’t just listening—they were dancing in the street. Seeing people gathered in the middle of 8th Avenue with live music playing around them was one of those moments that captured what this event was supposed to be about.
The Kids Zone was just as busy. Bubbles filled the air throughout the evening, and Wonder Wheels brought activities including axe throwing and giant Connect Four. Honor Bar & Grill and UnCaged Handmade supplied cornhole boards, giving families even more ways to play and spend time together. The Kids Zone stayed full of activity, laughter and, of course, plenty of bubbles.
With a turnout of approximately 3,000 people, we also learned a few things. Food truck lines were longer than anyone would have liked, and several trucks sold out before the night was over. The crowd was significantly larger than we or our vendors anticipated. We appreciate everyone who waited patiently, and we recognize that this is an area we can improve. Meet Me on 8th was a first for us, and the experience gave us valuable information that will help us plan even better in the future.
The impact of the crowd also stretched well beyond the food trucks. Local restaurants including Ned’s, Andy’s and Cow’s & Cones experienced an overwhelming rush of customers as people spread throughout downtown looking for something to eat and a place to visit.
Other local businesses found their own ways to make the most of having thousands of people downtown. Chamber members Palmetto Insurance and Hometown Taxes set up information tables and handed out branded swag, giving them an opportunity to meet people face-to-face and put their businesses in front of a large local crowd. Corner Outpost and The Ferry Market extended their hours, giving eventgoers a chance to step inside, browse and shop while they were downtown.
That is an important part of what events like Meet Me on 8th can do. A successful downtown event isn’t only measured by what happens inside the event footprint. When thousands of people come into town, they eat at local restaurants, walk into stores, discover businesses they may not have visited before and interact with Chamber members. Meet Me on 8th gave us a glimpse of what can happen when an event and the local business community work together to take advantage of the activity happening downtown.
Those growing pains didn’t seem to dampen the spirit of the night. The response during and after the event has been overwhelmingly positive. Facebook comments included “Had the best time,” “Can’t wait till the next one,” and perhaps the biggest compliment a brand-new event could receive: “Let’s do it monthly!”
Meet Me on 8th would not have been possible without the businesses and organizations that believed in the idea before we knew just how many people would show up. We are incredibly grateful to Anderson Brothers Bank, Bradley Jones Construction and all of our Downtown Sponsors for helping make the evening possible. We also thank our vendors, entertainers, activity providers, volunteers and everyone who worked behind the scenes to turn a block of 8th Avenue into a place for the community to gather.
Most of all, we want to thank the approximately 3,000 people who showed up. You brought your chairs, came hungry, danced in the street, watched your children chase bubbles and spent an October evening together in downtown Aynor.
During the planning of Meet Me on 8th, we talked about the memories many people have of 8th Avenue from years ago—nights when the street was closed, music was playing and something about being downtown felt special. We wondered if we could capture a little bit of that feeling again while creating something new for today’s Aynor.
For a few hours that night, we think we did.
You met us on 8th, Aynor. And what a night it was.
