Jefferson County’s summer kick-off event, Clancy Days, is only a few days away and a new face is leading the charge.
Philip Downer has a clear vision for Clancy Days, not just this year, but for years to come. As the new Clancy Days Committee Chair — and first time committee member — Downer hopes to build on the beloved community event and help it grow sustainably. And he has already added two new events to the 2023 festivities: food truck row and touch-a-truck with first responders.
Food truck row will feature a variety of food trucks and picnic tables at the Clancy Volunteer Fire Hall.
“Everyone’s going to need food,” Downer told The Monitor, adding that he hopes the food truck row will draw in more food connoisseurs.
The touch-a-truck event was inspired by a similar one Downer and his kids visited while living in Nashville.
The touch-a-truck event allows kids to “touch elbows” with law enforcement and first responders while exploring their respective vehicles – and hopefully prevent poor encounters later on, Downer said.
Clancy Days regular events and vendor sign-ups have also grown. This year, visitors can enjoy more than 100 vendor booths and a larger than ever car show. Both events have grown so much that they’ve been moved to new locations.
The car show will take place in the Clancy School parking lot, and vendor booths have spread out to areas, including Steve Marks meadow in the center of town. Hosting that many vendors, Downer said, wouldn’t be possible without Marks’ contribution.
“It takes the whole community, or the whole village to pull this off,” Downer said.
The growth in vendor sign-ups, Downer said, was due to his focus on finding artisan businesses hidden throughout the community. And the turn out was more than he expected. So much so that Downer expects next year’s Clancy Days to be at maximum capacity.
Downer joined the Clancy Days committee because of the potential he saw in the event.
“[There’s] so much potential here, so much fun already going on,” Downer said, adding that attending the event brought back fond childhood memories that he wanted to recreate for his own children.
Downer encourages others interested in the future of Clancy Days to join the committee and share their voices, especially in terms of bringing in volunteers.
Events like Clancy Days bring people shoulder-to-shoulder with each other and foster community.
“My job is to bring people together,” he said.”We’ll all make some memories out of the deal.”
New era for Legal Tender
In addition to organizing Clancy Days, Philip Downer and his wife Kelli – a Navy veteran and owner of Lace Apron Bakery – have purchased and plan to revamp a community restaurant and gathering place: The Legal Tender.
While on morning walks, the Downers frequently passed the Legal Tender and dreamed about its potential. Despite Clancy’s small size, Philip said he believes the population can support the restaurant. But before the Downers reopen the Legal Tender, there’s work to be done.
Phase one, Philip explained, consists of plumbing and electrical upgrades, renovations, painting walls and deep cleaning so they can “be proud to serve out of it.”
Although Philip had been doing it himself, he’s now recruited the help of teenagers seeking summer work.
Until phase one wraps up, Philip said he couldn’t set an opening date, but hopes to do so before summer ends.
Those seeking more information to follow Legal Tender on Facebook.
