By Jack Chavez, Staff Writer

(Sept. 8, 2022) It’s going to be a certifiable hootenanny on the streets of Berlin with the fifth installment of the Small Town Throwdown on Saturday.

File photo
Berlin welcomes back the Nashville-nodding Small Town Throw Down, (pictured during the inaugural event in 2017) for a full afternoon of country and western music in front of the Atlantic Hotel on Saturday.

The Nashville-themed, country music festival, which started in 2017, will feature musical artists Red Dirt Revolution and the Lauren Calve Band. Admission is free for all ages.

The annual concert, produced by Fager’s Island and the Atlantic Hotel, will once again shut down Main Street to accommodate the expected crowds, beginning at 10 a.m. Although the event itself is from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Berlin Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Larnet St. Amant added that there will be beer and wine vendors on the streets as well as a handful of light-fare vendors.

Guests will also be able to enjoy an outdoor hotel bar and a Burley Oak beer truck, sponsored by the Berlin Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s the start of our (offseason) events downtown,” St. Amant said. “Summer’s over and we’re starting to have live music and events on the street, for locals and guests. The weather should be great and it’s a good time to stand outside and enjoy some nice music and be on the streets of Berlin, which we can’t accommodate during the summer since it’s so busy.”

Atlantic Hotel General Manager Laura Sterns said last year that the concept took hold after John and Michelle Fager visited Nashville in 2016.

“John likes country music,” she said. “After seeing it in Nashville, he wanted to bring it to Berlin.”

Sterns said past “Throwdown,” events have drawn upwards of 1,000 people to Berlin.

“John does this to help bring business to the town,” she said.

Parking will be available at Berlin Intermediate School located on Franklin Avenue, off Rt. 113. From there, concertgoers can take the free shuttle to the “Throwdown.” The shuttle will be provided by Ocean Downs Casino.

Guests are encouraged to bring their own chairs.