ROCKINGHAM – After the threat of rain forced the cancellation of this event in May, the make-up date of June 14th was sunny and warm. Billed as a “spring social sidewalk festival,” the Affair on the Square lived up to its description.
Organized by the Richmond Downtown Corporation (RDC), the Affair on the Square has been a bi-annual event in the downtown area of Rockingham for several years. A record number of vendors were in attendance and set up with their merchandise ready for public purchase.
One such vendor was the horticultural business operated by Mike and Nora Hudson. Their colorful display of container gardens was the first item to catch my eye. Operating under the name “Petal Pushers,” the Hudsons have greenhouses on Lee Thee Church Road in Rockingham. Growing vegetables and herbs as well as traditional flowering plants, the Hudsons frequent the farmers’ markets in Rockingham, Hamlet and Mt. Gilead to sell their greenery.
Other vendors were selling products from companies such as Norwex, Scentsy, Mary Kay, Paparazzi, and LulaRoe. There were also individuals with their handcrafted items such as jewelry to sell.
Local restaurants had dinner specials for patrons as well as live music in Hudson Brothers and Pattan’s Grille, with the band Dark Horse on the street.
Judy Cagle, event chairperson, said, “This is a family-friendly event whose purpose is to get people downtown for the evening. There are a diverse group of vendors on the sidewalks, the stores are open and the restaurants are full, so everyone is happy. There are more vendors here tonight than we have ever had, so we are excited about that, too.”
Sharon Nichols, also on the RDC event committee, stated, “Helpful feedback we have gotten about the event this time is to have some vendors of interest for the men too – sports memorabilia or hunting/fishing vendors for instance – so we will work on that for the fall Affair on the Square.”
The public is welcome to join the RDC at their monthly meeting the third Tuesday of each month (except July). The next meeting will be Tuesday, August 21st, at Hudson Brothers at 5:30.
