Summer Finally Fridays wrap up, followed by Main Street businesses’ wedding winner

The Downtown Laurens summer concert series concludes this Friday, Sept. 22, with the Lexington-based “Going Commando Band,” a Finally Friday event this weekend and sponsored by Main Street Laurens and the Commission of Public Works.
The Going Commando Band features numerous instrumentalists and vocalists, and  plays a wide variety of covers and original music.
This will be the last summer season Finally Friday concert of the Plaza Stage as Main Street Laurens and the City of Laurens begin preparing for the Oct. 6 and 7 Squealin’ on the Square festival.
Ahead of Squealin’ on the Square, however, is a wedding on the Laurens Plaza Friday evening, Sept. 29, and it’s basically free for the lucky couple.
The city is preparing for the 6 p.m. Friday evening wedding which was won by Sarah Sutherland and Marcus Burlison in a contest held this spring.
The event is being sponsored in part by the city and by a long list of downtown businesses which are contributing toward the event.
The contest was introduced on Valentine’s Day by Diane Smith, owner of Designs by D, in order to highlight that, aside from formalwear, everything else needed for a full wedding – from salons to flowers to catering and venues – could be provided by Main Street Laurens businesses without the wedding party barely even having to leave the Historic Square.
Contest entrants were asked to submit an essay explaining their love story and why they should win, and in June Smith announced the winners.
Sutherland and Burlison then worked within the contest budget through the wedding details with Smith and others within the Main Street Laurens business community.
The wedding will take place on The Laurens Plaza, the reception will be held in the Laurens County Museum’s Magnolia Room and downtown businesses are covering other needs free of charge.
The value of the wedding is estimated at about $25,000.
“Our city is honored to host this wedding and to help create a truly special day for this lovely couple,” said Mayor Nathan Senn, who will officiate the ceremony. “I was delighted to be asked to take part, and I can’t wait to see how the contributions of so many people will come together to celebrate the love of Sarah and Marcus.”
It’s also a celebration of Laurens, Smith said.
“We are working together to celebrate the love of these two special people but also because we love our city,” Smith said. “It’s been an incredible journey collaborating with our other businesses to showcase all that Laurens has to offer as a wedding destination.