OUR VIEW: Downtown Culpeper is always a fun place to be

»Third Thursday celebrations start tonight with The Key West Band; rest of year looks to be just as exciting with concerts, events

If you’re in downtown Culpeper tonight, don’t be surprised if you run into a few “fruitcakes” enjoying a “cheeseburger in paradise” and “wasting away again in Margaritaville.”

They’ll just be here for the first Third Thursday of the year. Third Thursdays are a concert series presented in the summer months at the Depot by Culpeper Renaissance Inc. Tonight’s event features The Key West Band, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band from Roanoke.

And “come Monday,” there will be more live music at the Depot. That’s because Third Thursdays are only part of the fun around here.

Culpeper Renaissance has several events listed on its Web site, culpeperdowntown.com.

A few listed for the coming days include the Culpeper Downtown Fruit Loop, set for Sunday through Tuesday.

Many downtown shops and restaurants will have fruit samples and specials in conjunction with a bike ride co-sponsored by Bike Virginia and Journey Through Hallowed Ground.

And CRI has scheduled a “Happy Birthday Culpeper” block party for Monday evening at the Depot.

Still to come this year are Culpeper’s Fourth of July celebration, the Soap Box Derby of Culpeper, 250th anniversary celebrations, Harvest Days farm tour, Culpeper Airport Air Fest, A Taste of Culpeper, and local firemen’s carnivals.

Of course, there are plenty of regularly scheduled events around town, including free movies at Mount Pony, “Libations on the Lawn” with wine and music at the Museum of Culpeper History, and a weekly open mike session hosted by local band Mandorla each Wednesday night at the Hazel River Inn Pub.

We encourage everyone to have fun and enjoy living in Culpeper. It’s a great place to be.