Second Sunday Market turns into extravaganza

ALBANY — The initial Second Sunday Market planned Sunday at the downtown Pretoria Fields Brewery has evolved into an all-day family fun fest.

When Pretoria Fields Manager Billy Mann and Tift Park Community Market organizer Stephen Brimberry first talked of bringing the until-now Saturday-only Tift Park Community Market downtown, the idea was to introduce market vendors and regulars to the downtown brewery — and, by association, the ongoing redevelopment in the district — while also giving brewery regulars an opportunity to experience the market.

But that, as it turned out, was only the beginning.

Now, the Second Sunday event is an extravaganza, with food, music, kids activities and an opportunity for the principals of coming-soon downtown business Kayak Attack to introduce themselves to the Central Business District. The adventure company will offer its popular — and usually $35 — kayak trip down the Flint River for only $10.

“Basically, people who want to take the trip from the Georgia Power dam to the downtown area will come in to the brewery and sign a waiver, and we’ll take them up to the dam, where they’ll get in the water,” Kayak Attack owner Josh Lorber said. “They’ll make the trip downtown. It’s a really fun trip, one of our most popular.

“The cost for that trip is usually $35, but we wanted to offer a special price to kind of let people know who we are before we open up our storefront downtown. We hope to get the keys in a couple of weeks, so I think we should be in the store by the middle of next month.”

In addition to the kayak trips, Mann said Smoke and Fire restaurant will offer its culinary specialties at the Second Sunday Market, while the popular Evergreen Family Band will perform throughout the afternoon. Joining the Tift Market vendors in the brewery’s outdoors courtyard will be a booth set up for free face-painting and corn hole boards for friendly competition.

“This has really turned into a fun Sunday event for the entire family,” Mann said. “There’s good music, good food, face-painting for the kids, the kayak rides at a special price and vendors from the Tift Park Market who will, I think, have a little something for everyone.

“We’re excited about all that’s going on downtown, and one of the things I’d like to do is use the brewery — it’s a perfect venue — to showcase some of those things. There is just an amazing amount of potential downtown, and we’re excited to be a part of bringing the excitement back into the district.”

Sunday’s activities start at 1 p.m. and will continue until 5.

Also, on April 13, multimedia artists Ben Holmes and Patrick Farrell will bring their unique show “The Conqueror Worm Suite” to the Pretoria Fields Brewery. The show, which incorporates visual as well as musical art, is the duo’s interpretation of the Edgar Allan Poe poem “The Conqueror Worm.” That show, which is free to the public and is sponsored by the collective Albany Area Arts Council, starts at 7 p.m.