Why You Should Visit Laurel This Weekend

 If you found yourself in Laurel this weekend, you were in good company. By 11am on Saturday morning, Front Street and the Mercantile Green were flooded with locals and visitors who took part in the very first Community Bank Crawfest. With over 20 teams, there were spicy, ravioli-filled, pineapple flavored crawfish available for every palette to try and select for the title of 'Best Crawfish.'  

 

It’s been the funnest day in #DowntownLaurel celebrating good weather, family and friends, and our community. 🇺🇸 Our friend and Laurel local, Sarah Tyner, said it best, “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.” Thanks for sharing, @sarahlizty!

A post shared by Laurel Mercantile Co. (@laurelmercantile) on Apr 21, 2018 at 12:50pm PDT

Thanks to @laurelmainstreet for another great event! Crawfest was a blast!

A post shared by Visit Downtown Laurel (@visitlaurel) on Apr 21, 2018 at 12:54pm PDT

 

The Mercantile Green was filled with music and Scotsminis in every corner of our kid-friendly space. 

 

 Our favorite part was seeing everyone enjoy our Walker’s Bloody Mary Mix, Blackberry Margarita Mix, and the Honeysuckle Sour Mix at our taste-test Scotsman kitchen cart. These all natural mixers are made with fresh squeezed juices, premium ingredients, and no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. We can proudly say that every single mixer was a hit, but the Bloody Mary Mix continues to be the favorite amongst the locals! 

 

The weekend is here and we’re ready to debut our Walker’s Spicy Bloody Mary Mix tomorrow at the Community Bank Crawfest! Y’all come by and enjoy a free sample of our mix and make sure to bring your own special “ingredients” if you prefer a little stronger taste. Check out the link in profile to see the rest of our Walker Feed Co Mixer collection!

A post shared by Laurel Mercantile Co. (@laurelmercantile) on Apr 20, 2018 at 2:59pm PDT

Give me all the Bloody Mary’s! Thanks @laurelmercantile 😍

A post shared by Sarah Elizabeth Tyner (@sarahlizty) on Apr 21, 2018 at 11:56am PDT

*Tries a Bloody Mary once* #worklife #merclife

A post shared by Lindsay Miller (@lindsaymichellemiller) on Apr 21, 2018 at 10:42am PDT

 

If you missed the Crawfest, don’t worry. April and May hold some of our biggest events yet!

 

April 27th- 29th

The Hello Beautiful market will be live on Front Street this upcoming weekend. Developed by the creators of the Rusty Chandelier, this southern, vintage market is the first of its kind and is anticipated to be the biggest market in the southern region this spring. Be sure to check out the Hello Beautiful Facebook page for more information! 

 

May 5th

Laurel’s most beloved, annual event, Day in the Park, is back again this year for its 46th anniversary! As the staple event every May and a celebration for the upcoming summer, this year will be even better with a vast selection of live music, festival cuisine, children’s activities, and work of skilled craftsmen from across the region.

If you're looking for a fun way to be apart of the community, consider starting the day with a 5k race and fun run at 8:00am. The festivities continue throughout the day with exhibitions and entertainment. If you can’t make it, follow along on Laurel Mercantile’s Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to join in on the fun! 

 

May 4th-5th

If you find yourself in Jackson, Mississippi, be sure to check out the Laurel Mercantile pop-up at the Mississippi Mercantile. Check out our booth from last year below!

 

If Laurel is too far to drive, you can still get the experience and meet @erinapier and @scotsman.co Friday and Saturday in Jackson at the #MississippiMercantile. Come see our team's amazing work and shop all our American-made goodness! 🇺🇸 #keepingourhometownsstrong #HGTVHomeTown

A post shared by Laurel Mercantile Co. (@laurelmercantile) on May 4, 2017 at 7:35pm PDT

 

Erin and Ben will be presenting their newest ideas and sharing what the future holds for our state, our Vaughan-Bassett + Scotsman Co. furniture line, and small town America.

 

I went to high school in Rockingham County, North Carolina, near the Virginia state line. We would spend Saturdays exploring the Blue Ridge mountains, getting fresh apples from roadside stands, and learning about the furniture towns of southwest Virginia. On HGTV, we talk about revitalizing small town America. So, a few years ago, when an overseas furniture company wanted to put the Scotsman name on their furniture, it was easy to say "no thank you" because I remembered those factory towns I’d explored with my family. To drive through a town that has lost its industry is sad. Laurel is still here because of the jobs and industry that are here. @erinapier announced this partnership earlier. Teaming up with Vaughan-Bassett is something I’ve been actively working toward for two years, but it goes back to riding through Virginia in a Suburban with my family in the fall of 1999. This is the realization of a dream that was sparked at a very young age for me. You’ll soon be able to buy @scotsman.co and @laurelmercantile furniture, built in America, from Appalachian hardwoods. You can rest assured that this furniture will be durable, and that for every tree that was cut to build a piece of furniture, another was planted in its place. I’m excited to be able to design and build sustainable furniture with one of America’s last great factories. #AmericanMadeAmericanPaid #AmericanMadeMeansAmericanPaid

A post shared by Ben Napier | Scotsman Co. (@scotsman.co) on Apr 12, 2018 at 12:01pm PDT

 

While we love celebrating and attending fun events every weekend with our friends and families, our biggest hope is that you'll visit and discover that there's room for everyone here in our City Beautiful. If you're lucky, maybe you could find yourself saying #iliveinlaurel one day, too.

Visit the Downtown Laurel page to plan your visit to Laurel!

 

A Laurel native, Lindsay Miller, is Laurel Mercantile Co.'s communication and social media manager. As a recent graduate from the University of Mississippi, with a degree in Integrated Marketing Communications, she loves to promote Small Town America by shining a spotlight on the small town that raised her.