September First Friday Celebrates School Spirit at the Final Event of the Season

PRESS RELEASE
 
MEDIA CONTACT
Contact: Lacey Filkins
Executive Director, Experience Mount Vernon 
info@experiencemv.org
Office/Mobile: 740-393-1481
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
September First Friday Celebrates School Spirit at the Final Event of the Season
 
Mount Vernon, Ohio — School is back in session, and downtown Mount Vernon is ready to celebrate! Experience Mount Vernon will close out the 2026 First Friday season with September First Friday: School Spirit Night on Friday, September 4, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. 
 
Presented by the Parent Support Initiative of Knox County, the final First Friday of the season will have live music, family activities, food trucks, local organizations, and plenty of school-spirit fun throughout downtown Mount Vernon.
 
The Parent Support Initiative Main Stage on Public Square will feature live music by Rm 201, a five-piece rock band from Mount Vernon, playing covers of many of your favorite songs and introducing you to some new sounds. 
 
The evening’s Community Spotlight on the Main Stage, sponsored by MTVarts, will feature the MTVarts cast of The Wizard of Oz. Guests will also have the opportunity to put their knowledge to the test during Are You Smarter Than an Educator?, a game show-style competition pitting MTVarts artsIQ students against local educators. It's a battle of brains that promises to be as entertaining as it is educational!
 
Families can head to the Activity Zone on South Main Street, sponsored by Chevrolet GMC of Mount Vernon and hosted by MVNU Athletics, for a variety of hands-on activities, including games with MVNU athletics, free face painting with Creations 2 Dye 4, bubbles, music, and more! Join the Teen Advisory Council in the Activity Zone for this month’s craft: single-color T-shirt dip dyeing! We will have all the school colors available for kids to choose from, and shirt sizes ranging from 4T to adult medium, while supplies last. TAC students will be available to help with the tying and dyeing of the shirts. Families are more than welcome to bring their own small 100% cotton items to dye as well. 
 
The popular Touch-a-Truck, sponsored by United Aggregates, will return with vehicles from the Mount Vernon Police Department, Mount Vernon Fire Department, United Aggregates/CTS, and Chevrolet GMC of Mount Vernon.
 
Guests can capture the perfect First Friday Class of 2026 memory at the School Photo Day Photo Booth, sponsored by the Knox County Board of Developmental Disabilities (Knox DD), located at the Cooper Fountain on Public Square. Whether you’re ready for your first day, your last day, or just ready to pose, attendees are encouraged to wear and bring their best school spirit!
 
Hungry after a busy night downtown? Ariel Corporation has sponsored 11 food trucks throughout the event, including Annie’s Concessions (Public Square), Buddy’s Local Eats (Public Square), Hog Gone Wild (Public Square), Le Macaron (Public Square), Mama Lupe’s Kitchen (Public Square), Round Hill Dairy (Public Square), Sunny Sips (Public Square), Tabouli Cafe (Public Square), Chrome Cones (W. Vine Street), Truckin’ Trav (W. Vine Street), and The Funnel Cake Station (W. Gambier Street). List of food trucks is subject to change.
 
Guests are encouraged to ride to the event and take advantage of the free bicycle valet on West Vine Street, hosted by Get Healthy Knox County. Cyclists can enjoy secure, complimentary bike parking while exploring First Friday, making it easy to roll into downtown and join the fun.

September also marks the final month of the 2026 First Friday Passport program. Kids and families can pick up a Passport at the Experience Mount Vernon information table on Public Square. Participants who complete five of nine designated activities will receive their September stamp and be entered into the September prize drawing.

And there's one more assignment: collect all four monthly Passport stamps to qualify for the First Friday Grand Prize Drawing! Participants who have missed previous months can still participate in September and enter the monthly prize drawing, but all four stamps are required to qualify for the grand prize.

As always, all First Friday events and activities are free and open to the public!
 
Event Logistics
Street closures for parked vehicles begin at 2:00 p.m., with full road access to all traffic beginning at 3:00 p.m., including:

• Main Street between Chestnut Street and Ohio Avenue
• All of Public Square
• High Street between Gay and Mulberry Streets
• Vine Street between S. Gay and S. Mulberry Streets
• Gambier Street between S. Gay and S. Mulberry Streets