The weather forecast is being a bit difficult, typical for East Texas, but rain or shine, Downtown Kilgore has couples set for date night this Valentine’s Day.
It comes with a free chauffeur, too.
Everything gets rolling at 6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14. No ticket necessary, just cover the cost of your food, drinks and shopping.
“My original idea for Valentine’s Day was to see if we could get all the local people to set up a place where you could go into their restaurant or business to get your photo taken,” says Fred Gebhardt of Kilgore Mercantile & Music. “Casey Moehring came up with the idea about a progressive dinner.”
Adding the local restaurateur’s Zen Kitchen to the plan, Gebhardt took the idea to City Hall, and Visit Kilgore’s Megan Payne hit the gas.
With go-time tomorrow night, there are 15 merchants and restaurants participating in ‘Valentine’s Day in Downtown Kilgore‘ along with two off-site destinations and two florists pitching in for flowers.
“We visited all the downtown stores and restaurants,” Gebhardt said, getting a warm welcome and steadily fleshing out the map for Saturday’s soiree.
In addition to Kilgore Mercantile & Music, the downtown list includes:
- Charburger Stockade
- Crazy Cup
- De Rigueur
- Downtown D’Lites
- Dragon’s Nest
- Edgar’s Big Taco No. 2
- Euphoria Botanicals
- Everything That Blings
- Geektopia
- The Grand Empress Tea Room
- Pollard & Payne
- Tantime
- Texas Broadcast Museum
- Zen Kitchen
David Reeves’ Flowers By Design is supporting along with Elegant Floral & Design.
Outside downtown, Britt’s Wine & Dine will welcome visitors, and patrons can get two-for-admission at 4 Star Cinema when they show they participated downtown.
There’s enough to do to start and finish Valentine’s downtown, Gebhardt added, but the three-hour event works as a second stop for date night as well as a break between other activities.
“Maybe people will just come downtown and finish their date,” he said, and no reservations are necessary at local restaurants, walk-ins welcome: “It’s way more fun than standing in line.”
If the weather turns, no worries: the organizers have secured a shuttle for the evening to cart guests between stops, courtesy of Mayor Ronnie Spradlin and First Baptist Church of Kilgore. There are photo opportunities and selfie spots throughout the evening’s map. That’ll be available at Kilgore Mercantile as the starting point, along with free carnations (while supplies last).
“From there, you get your pre-dinner drinks or appetizer at several places,” Gebhardt said, staying or moving on: “You get your entrée next or another appetizer. After that you get your dessert.”
It’s a great way to spread love on Valentine’s Day, and it looks to be a boon for downtown Kilgore entrepreneurs during what can be a slower shopping season.
“Everybody wants you to come into their place of business.”
For more information, visit the night’s Facebook event page.
