Fuquay-Varina hits the right note with music festivities

If you want the perfect blend of music, community, energy and local flavor — look no further than Fuquay-Varina.

"We started in spring 2015," said Susan Weis, director of communications for the town of Fuquay-Varina. "It was a way to get people to visit and experience Fuquay-Varina and downtown. We're fortunate to have two downtowns -- the Fuquay district and the Varina district. FM2FV concerts are held on the Fuquay side."

All concerts are held at Centennial Square, an open park space, and are completely free. It's fun for the whole family with drinks from local breweries, food trucks from local vendors and a free kids activity zone. Weis described it as a "lovely time" and said there is a lot of dancing and camaraderie.

"We started out with 500 people coming for a concert, and now the place is packed," Weis said. "It's also a way for us to showcase some of our local breweries. Some local food establishments come out as well. It's a nice way to highlight Fuquay-Varina in a fun, laid-back atmosphere."

Attendees are asked not to bring coolers.

FM2FV welcomed the band SMILE earlier this September and its show on Sept. 20 will feature the band North Tower. It will close out its fall series Nov. 1 with the renowned beach band The Embers, which Weis said, "tends to draw a huge crowd."

All shows are from 6:30 until 9:30 p.m.

Jonathan Cox, director of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources for the Town of Fuquay-Varina, said the town uses a local booking agent to vet the bands and make sure that the concert series is musically diverse.

"One thing I'll do before we have a band play is I will go out and see them in another community or at another event, just to get my eyes and ears on them," Cox said. "But most of these bands have been local in the area [or] been concert series staples throughout the greater Raleigh area for a long period of time."

Weis and Cox both mentioned that the intentional branding of FM2FV helped generate buzz around the series, attract attendees and maintain a loyal following.

"In the mid-1990s, Fuquay-Varina held concerts downtown, and they were met with marginal success," Weis recounted. "Fast forward 20 years and it's nice to see people attending the live concert and being excited, and anticipating the FM2FV concerts. We are thrilled about what's happening with the music scene in Fuquay-Varina."

"It's definitely grown over the years. People are accustomed to it now ... we try to keep it as local as possible," added Cox, noting the importance of community engagement. "The Fuquay-Varina community has definitely bought into it. We offer special events throughout the year, this is just one specific one, but I think it's important to bring the community together and have that engagement downtown."

Weis partially attributes the overall growth of Fuquay-Varina over the past 15 years to the success of downtown events like FM2FV.

"Our growing population is seeking a wider variety of entertainment opportunities," Weis said. "It's really become much more of a destination for people to come and hang out and experience Fuquay-Varina."

Festivities kick off on Oct. 4 with Chairman of the Board live in concert on Broad Street. Celebrations will continue Saturday, Oct, 6, when the town will host Celebrate Fuquay-Varina in Downtown Fuquay.