Walkabout in downtown on Friday afternoon has a pleasant surprise when musician Doug Mays plays a few numbers for us out on the sidewalk on North Side Square.
I’m honored to have brushed shoulders with Doug Mays. His musical pedigree is long and impressive. He’s performing as a house musician downtown and calling him a busker was a bit of an understatement, but I was a little caught in the circumstance before it settled in.
The tour then continues around the street and into Clinton Row where many shops and restaurants line the street in what is one of the hottest entertainment districts in downtown Huntsville.
Further down the road we visit the Russel Erskin Hotel and then on to the Mars Music Hall and the North Hall of the Von Braun Center. The area across the street to the north is now empty but is the former location of the Coca Cola bottling plant and is soon to be another large mixed use development furher adding to the population and retail base in downtown.
Follow along to see all these major changes in the downtown area coming together to permanently change the landscape, demographics and commerce in the downtown area.
©2023 – Jim Casey
