Downtown business merchants are hoping the sweet sounds of music will lure people to partake in shopping and dining on the weekends.

The Mount Airy Downtown Business Association is sponsoring Downtown Music Saturdays from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Throughout downtown there will be tents set up for musicians to play music and sell their music. Rain washed out the first event last week, but this Saturday, Brian Barbou is scheduled to perform at Talley’s Custom Frame, and String Magic will be at the museum’s courtyard.

“We want people to enjoy music and shop downtown,” said Twyla Sickmiller, who owns 308 Bistro on North Main Street.

She said she is looking for musicians. Those who are interested in performing downtown during the time frame on Saturday will not be compensated, but will able to sell their music.

She also said there will be three tents, one in the courtyard of the Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, and one at Talley’s Custom Frame shop. The third location is yet to be decided.

“We just talked about we needed more music downtown. By 1 p.m. or 1:30 p.m., everything is gone. People need to have more stuff to do during the day, and this is something for residents to enjoy,” she said. “It’s an attention-getter, and hopefully we’ll entertain tourists and residents.”

Brandt Scholz, the president of the DBA and the owner of B&L Jewelers, said as the event expands bands may also play on the sidewalks with the permission of businesses.

“We’ll start with one central location and as we get more demand, musicians who don’t want tents can set up along the sidewalk, if the business owner agrees,” he said. “The goal is to make downtown a place to come and see. We want people to come to see downtown and what’s happening.”

He said one of the reasons the event was started was to add to the option of activities people have on the weekends.

“We had an overwhelming response after the bridal affair of ‘we didn’t know there were so much to be had downtown,’” he said. “That spun this, if you want to bring people downtown, whether they are from Winston-Salem or Pilot Mountain, they get a feel for downtown and shop here.”

“The reason we’re doing 1 to 4 p.m. is so we don’t circumvent anything that’s being done,” Sickmiller said. “Everybody’s doing a great job, we just want to enhance what’s being done and give people a reason to come. The sidewalk shouldn’t just roll up after 1 p.m.”

Musicians should perform weather permitting. For more information or to book a tent space, call Twyla Sickmiller at 786-8600.

Contact Erin C. Perkins at eperkins@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.