The business along the downtown streets of Atmore will be transformed into miniature art galleries this week with the first Art Walk of the season.

A group of volunteers, headed up by Cathy Coley, have worked to pair up artists and merchants for the event scheduled for Oct. 7.

Sheryl Vickery, executive director for the Atmore Area Chamber of Commerce, said the event will begin at 5 p.m. Thursday and end around 7 p.m. and should be a great evening.

“The weather is going to be great,” Vickery said. “We are hoping to have a great crowd. We’d like everyone to come out and be together during the evening as a community. It’s a good chance for our community to come together and have a good time.”

The last season of Art Walk events was a success, Vickery said. She hopes the season, which begins Saturday, will be as successful.

“Kudos go out to Cathy Coley and all of the people who worked with her to bring this weekend’s event together,” Vickery said. “We had a very successful series of Art Walks last season and we hope this year’s events will be as successful.”

With 22 artists spread across 20 participating merchants, art will be in abundance with practically every imaginable medium available.

“There will be just about any kind of art you can think of out there,” Vickery said. “We have the Mud Man coming who takes mud and makes art. Also our local celebrity, Kathleen Tucci will be on hand with some of her unique fashion art. We will also have artists who create their works in watercolors, pastels. We have potters who will be showing their work. We have some children in the community who will be participating this year so you can look for some works of art by our kids.”

Vickery said this is the first of three Art Walk events planned for the coming year.

“We will have our holiday Art Walk in December,” Vickery said. “And, we’re planning the third Art Walk event in March to close out the season.”

Along with working to ensure an array of artists on hand at area businesses, Coley has been working to coordinate entertainment for the evening.

“We will have Abby Akins performing during the evening,” Coley said. “She will be in front of The Beans Store. We will also have Melissa and Eddie Seales performing in front of First National Bank.”

Students will also be involved in providing entertainment for the event, Coley said.

“Escambia Academy’s band, cheerleaders and dance team will perform across from Huskey Printing,” Coley said. “My School Live will also be broadcasting from Huskey Printing.”

Merchant and artist pairings for the event include:

North Main Street — Brothers Auto Sales; Huskey Printing with Megan Lisenby; Health Plus Chiropractic with Jo Vickery; Nancy’s with Escambia Academy; Coley Petals and Parties with Huxford Elementary School’s 6th Grade art projects and Fun Art for Kids; Cash N Go; Roaster’s Gallery with Joel Lambert; United Bank with Brandon Smith; Annie’s Community Cup with Kathleen Tucci; Wisteria with Narvell McGhee and Escambia County High School; Alley next to Wisteria with Schuyler Allen.

South Main Street: First National Bank with Beth Donald and Abby Rolph; Gul Winds Federal Credit Union with Julie Fountain, Mike Newton and Faye Morris The Atmore Advance; Jus Because with Freddie Miller; Pintoli’s with Walton Nichols; The Tot Shop with Lester Holt; “Atmore News” with Walt Butler an Leonard Hursh; The Barn Owl (behind The Beans Store on Church Street) with Ginny Boyd; and The Beans Store with Sara Beck and Patti Dettling.

Artists are encouraged to display their art with assistance from area merchants. Coley said artists and merchants are still being encouraged to participate in the event.

To learn more about becoming a participant or for information on the event, contact Coley at 368-5998.