The Fry Guy

It’s not officially spring in Roswell until the historic district comes “alive.” Alive After 5 and Alive at the Square kickoff tonight, Thursday, April. 18.

As with years past, attendees can expect the popular local event to be quite the spectacle. Food trucks, local vendors, artisans, music, entertainment, kiddie fun and shopping are all scheduled for the season’s inaugural event.

Organizers are expecting record numbers of people to attend this year. So, taking the trolleys from the parking lot at Roswell City Hall to either area of the historic district – Canton Street and the Roswell Square – is encouraged.

Alive After 5

Once again, Canton Street will be closed from Magnolia Street to Norcross Street beginning at 6:30 p.m. It will reopen at 10 p.m. Webb Street will close at 4:30 p.m. from West Alley (near The Chandleryback door) to Canton Street and Elizabeth Way will close at 4:30 p.m. from Highway 9 to Canton Street for vendor set up.

New this year, a “Community Corner” will be set up at the corner of Canton Street and Woodstock Road. This month, Games2u - a mobile gaming company – will set up its Human Hamster Wheel, Video RV and a jumpy house. And Relay for Life Roswell will also be on-hand to share information and register teams for their upcoming event.

Also a highlight this year will be the “Alive After 5 Singer Songwriter Series,” sponsored by The Roswell Tap. Here’s how it will work: five or six singer/songwriters will be showcased, competing for prize money, at the Heart of Roswell Park throughout the event each month. After each artist performs their set at the park, they will head over to The Roswell Tap to play more music. Winners will compete for a grand prize at the end of the Alive After 5 season.

Roswell Square

Alive At the Square will fill the square with vendors, local merchants, food trucks and live music. The Mill Kitchen & Bar will also set up a beverage service.

Park Square will close at 4:30 p.m. for vendor set up.

The Mens in Blues Band will be at the Roswell Square to perform throughout the evening.

The food trucks expected during the April Alive at the Square are:

The Fry Guy - crispy “Belgian-style frittes” with a myriad of dipping sauces

King of Pops - exotic-inspired frozen treats with a flavor range from Mexican Chocolate to the Arnold Palmer.

Wow - “Wonderlicious on Wheels” is part of Duck’s Kitchen in Decatur, serving savory stuffed corn cakes – or arepas – in addition to other menu items like “My Oh My Tomato Pie” and “Crispy Shrimp Cake.”

Tex’s Tacos - a different twist on traditional Tex-Mex cuisine. They serve tacos, quesadillas and sides, such as the Texicana Fries, which were featured on the Food Network.

Mighty Meatball Mobile - a food truck owned by brothers serving up a secret family recipe for Italian meatballs and “fresh new twists on the meatball sandwich.”

http://roswell.patch.com/articles/alive-after-5-2013-season-starts-tonight-thursday-april-18

Staff / Erin Gray
From left, Alive After 5 at the Square coordinators Kelley Reddick Davis and Anne Reddick, operations manager of Texas Tacos Sean Sugrue, Alive After 5 Roswell organizer Sally Johnson and Terry Hall with Fork in the Road Food Trucks are looking forward to this year’s Alive After 5 festivities.

The monthly street party that has become one of the most popular outdoor events in Roswell is set to kick off its seven-month season on April 18.

Alive After Five, or AA5 as it is affectionately known to its legion of fans, is in its eighth year. Its new sibling, Alive at the Square, is back for its second.

“We see such great spirit and energy that we’re really excited about going forward,” said Roswell Realtor Anne Reddick, who coordinates Alive at the Square with her daughter and business partner, Kelley Davis.

“Last year, we didn’t start until August, but even starting as late as we did, we had 3,000 people that first time, which was phenomenal. And September and October were good, too. It’s a really good adjunct to Alive After Five.”

Park Square is closed off for the event on the historic town square, which includes vendors and food trucks as well as open houses at area businesses.

“We don’t compete with Canton Street, which is mostly an adult crowd. Here we have room for families and strollers,” Davis said. “And the fence around the square has been a wonderful addition because it makes parents comfortable,” Reddick said. Further north, along Canton Street Magnolia Street to Woodstock Road, Alive After Five is ready to set the historic district humming once again.

“In 2001 the city gave us $1,000 to hire a consultant because we could not get people to come to Canton Street,” said Sally Johnson, the force behind the Historic Roswell Merchants Association. “One of the results of that report was a suggestion to create an event. So in 2005, we did.”

At first, attendance was sparse. But as the historic district began evolving into a hot destination, AA5 was a beneficiary.

A decade ago, Canton Street was all shops and art galleries and no restaurants, Johnson said. “Now we have a strong balance of all of them. Everything has come together very nicely.”

So popular has AA5 become that last year the city started closing Canton Street between Norcross and Magnolia streets to accommodate the throngs better. Live music, commercial and nonprofit vendors and a variety of restaurants and watering holes contribute to the party atmosphere.

New this year will be an entertainment area especially for kids. At the north end of Canton at its intersection with Woodstock Road, there will be a bounce house, a “human hamster wheel” and an RV filled with arcade and Wii games.

Also new is an additional trolley to ferry attendees around AA5 and Alive at the Square, bringing the total to three. The free municipal parking lot across Ga. Hwy 9/Alpharetta Street at city hall will be the most frequent stop, Johnson said.

The tandem events will occur the third Thursday of every month, 5 to 9 p.m., until October.

http://www.neighbornewspapers.com/view/full_story/22144374/article-Square–Canton-Street-ready-to-come-%E2%80%98alive%E2%80%99-in-Roswell?instance=north