By Mo Orbin, Neighborhood Coordinator—
MUNCIE, IN—The “$2 Tour of the Village” returns on Saturday August 28th, from 4p – 8p on a closed University Avenue between Calvert and Dill Streets.
This event is hosted by Village merchants, the Riverside/Normal City Neighborhood Association (RNC), and the Muncie Action Plan and is made possible by the support of Ball State University as well as sponsors including the Muncie Map Company and Tribune Showprint.
“The Village is an important part of our neighborhood and we had such a great time with the festival in 2019,” said Heather Williams, President of RNC. “This year we’ve worked harder to connect students to the Village and the surrounding city.”
Who doesn’t love a great deal? Many of the Village merchants will be offering items for $2. Think $2 tacos, pizza slices, t-shirts, and ice cream cones! Vendors and other charity groups will also set up booths along University Avenue: sky + earth studio will be selling jewelry and metalsmithed items; Elevated Dyes is offering children’s clothing, aprons, and shirts; Altrusa Club of Muncie is selling handmade craft items.
But shopping isn’t the only thing to experience at the $2 Tour!
Ball State Code Red Dancers are kicking off the festival and Harmony Dance Studio will be giving dance lessons. Loren Foley will have his Freak Show tent set up for the entire festival and will be on stage beginning at 5pm. The Bashful Boys will follow the Fabulous Funcie Femmes on the main stage at 7:00 p.m.
This is a pet friendly event…in fact, 93.5 MAX will be hosting the MAX’s Mutt Strut & Pet Parade, sponsored by Roo’s Holistic Pet Supplies, T&H Sweeper, and Grateful Rescue & Sanctuary. It is $2 to register your pet and all registration fees will be donated to Grateful Rescue. Check out 93.5 MAX’s Facebook page for more information. Registration begins at 5 pm. Pets strut their stuff at 5:30pm.
It’s Indiana and it could be a HOT day. I’m sure Mayor Dan Ridenour, City Council President Jeff Robinson, Muncie Police Chief Nathan Sloan, and City Councilwoman Ro Selvey would appreciate it if you stopped by the dunk tank, located next to the new Jack’s Donuts of the Village, 1706 W. University Avenue. $2 will get you two chances to dunk the lucky person in the tank and each dunkee has chosen a charity or non-for-profit to benefit. A friendly competition to see who can raise the most money has already begun.
But wait! There’s more!
Volunteers will hand out passports to the first 500 attendees. Those with passports can have them checked while visiting Village businesses. People with filled passports will be eligible to win prizes like gift certificates to restaurants, gift baskets, and more. By the way, not only is admittance to this event free, but the first hundred people through the gates will be given $2 to spend. Be on the lookout for the Cornfed Derby Dames to receive your $2 bills.
Full schedule:
4:00p – Code Red Dance Team
4:15p – Harmony Dance Studio
5:00p – Freakshow Foley
5:30p – MAX’s Mutt Strut & Pet Parade
6:15p – The Fabulous Funcie Femmes
7:00p – Bashville Boys
7:30p – Pride of Mid-America Drumline
Dunk Tank:
4:00p – Mayor Dan Ridenour
5:00p – City Council President Jeff Robinson
6:00p – City Councilwoman Ro Selvey
6:30p – Police Chief Nathan Sloan
The event will be held rain or shine.
