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Simultaneous events will bring a mixture of equal parts excitement and thunder with a dash of rock-n-roll to the Hope Town Square from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday as Thunder on the Square, a motorcycle cruise-in, returns for its second year and six local bands battle it out on the bandstand for Hope’s 2^nd Annual Battle of the Bands – a competition to determine not only bragging rights of who's the best band, but who will become the headliner for the upcoming 55^th Annual Hope Heritage Days in September.

Connie Kiviniemi-Baylor, executive director of Main Street of Hope, said in a recent email interview that the Main Street Board of Directors decided to combine the two events this year in an effort to bring more people to the Square on one day.

“Doing so allows volunteers to work one event, instead of two,” she says. “And it gives those attending Thunder on the Square live entertainment to listen to as they admire motorcycles at the cruise-in and provides a bigger audience to the bands [participating in the battle].”

“We have some Amazing people on the Main Street Board who know what to do and how to do it,” Richards says. “Chuck Caldwell has been awesome about letting us know what we need to make this event happen. I made a post on Facebook that we were looking for bands and it blew up. I am excited to listen to the bands, I think we will have a great Battle.”

Taking the stage Saturday will be:
1 p.m. Sons of I Am
1:45 p.m. Dirty Laundry
2:30 p.m. Gypsy Rose
3:15 p.m. JeRoCo
4 p.m. Brackish Water Beavers
4:45 p.m. Sixes & Sevens

In addition to the great deals offered by area businesses for shoppers, vendors and restaurants on the Square will have delicious menu items available, including sno cones from the Shiver Shack featuring Sno Biz flavors.

For more information about the event, please check out Main Street of Hope on Facebook HERE.