(Sept. 14, 2017) The inaugural Small Town Throwdown, Saturday in Berlin was, by all accounts, a huge success, as thousands of people turned up to browse through local shops, nosh on locally made barbecue and listen to the three-band lineup of Nashville-inspired country music.
“I think this is a classic example of how Berlin and our community have both complimented our past and our future,” Mayor Gee Williams said. “We are certainly a town of 19th-century charm and 21st-century thinking and living, and this event is like the best of both worlds. This is the ultimate kind of classic American music and we can all enjoy it together.”
Williams said the success of the event was undeniable, and the chances of it becoming an annual occurrence were excellent.
“Our approach has been, do an event three years and then make a decision. I think this event won’t need two more years to decide it’s a classic for Berlin,” Williams said.
Plans for the single-day festival were hatched after John and Michelle Fager took a trip to Nashville last year. Michelle, already a huge country music fan, made a convert out of her husband.
The Fagers were so inspired by the experience that they sought to bring the same atmosphere to downtown Berlin.
“We wanted to get Berlin going earlier in the [fall] season, so as soon as Labor Day was over we were hoping to get Berlin back on the map to kick off the festival season,” John said. “All the honky-tonk up and down Broadway in Nashville is so much fun. We thought, heck, let’s bring a couple of those bands down here.”
“Berlin is a small town and country music thrives in small towns across the nation,” Michelle added.
Both said they were thrilled by the result.
“Look at the great turnout,” John said. “You’ve got older people, younger people, real young people, all walking up and down the street.”
“It’s beyond our expectations,” Michelle said. “I honestly hadn’t heard these bands prior to today and they’re all amazing. And the crowd response is just phenomenal. It’s been a lot of fun.”
As true sign Berlin had an authentic country music festival on its hands, one family even brought their pet pig, Petunia, to stroll up and down Main Street on a harness and leash.
“We were gonna catch him and try to barbecue, but we couldn’t catch him,” John said with a laugh.
“The town of Berlin has been so generous,” he added. “The mayor and city council are doing such a great job of, basically, making Berlin great again.”
“I think this is a classic example of how Berlin and our community have both complimented our past and our future,” Mayor Gee Williams said. “We are certainly a town of 19th-century charm and 21st-century thinking and living, and this event is like the best of both worlds. This is the ultimate kind of classic American music and we can all enjoy it together.”
Williams said the success of the event was undeniable, and the chances of it becoming an annual occurrence were excellent.
“Our approach has been, do an event three years and then make a decision. I think this event won’t need two more years to decide it’s a classic for Berlin,” Williams said.
Plans for the single-day festival were hatched after John and Michelle Fager took a trip to Nashville last year. Michelle, already a huge country music fan, made a convert out of her husband.
The Fagers were so inspired by the experience that they sought to bring the same atmosphere to downtown Berlin.
“We wanted to get Berlin going earlier in the [fall] season, so as soon as Labor Day was over we were hoping to get Berlin back on the map to kick off the festival season,” John said. “All the honky-tonk up and down Broadway in Nashville is so much fun. We thought, heck, let’s bring a couple of those bands down here.”
“Berlin is a small town and country music thrives in small towns across the nation,” Michelle added.
Both said they were thrilled by the result.
“Look at the great turnout,” John said. “You’ve got older people, younger people, real young people, all walking up and down the street.”
“It’s beyond our expectations,” Michelle said. “I honestly hadn’t heard these bands prior to today and they’re all amazing. And the crowd response is just phenomenal. It’s been a lot of fun.”
As true sign Berlin had an authentic country music festival on its hands, one family even brought their pet pig, Petunia, to stroll up and down Main Street on a harness and leash.
“We were gonna catch him and try to barbecue, but we couldn’t catch him,” John said with a laugh.
“The town of Berlin has been so generous,” he added. “The mayor and city council are doing such a great job of, basically, making Berlin great again.”