GREENE – A grassroots group is recruiting businesses and artistic talent to take part in the first-ever Village of Greene art walk.

The Arts Council of Greene has been gearing up for the event for weeks, giving artists a chance to debut their work while encouraging businesses to showcase their venues and Greene’s 1,500 residents to show off their historic downtown business district.

The goal, said coordinator Sharon McLean, is to give locals something new to enjoy while also attracting visitors. The event is free and will be held rain or shine from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 9.

“We thought that this was a good way to pair artists and maybe expose businesses at the same time ... We’re trying to get people to stop and see what we have and take a look at what businesses we have downtown,” McLean said. “There are so many artists here in Greene. We used to be large in the antique dealing business, too and unfortunately, antiques have gone more to EBay, but we’re still trying to hold on to the arts portion.”

So far, more than 25 businesses in the village have signed on to the event. These business will host artists of all mediums, “something for everyone to enjoy,” McLean said, including painters and live musical performances inside stores and on sidewalks, tattoo artists, cooks, quilters and a martial arts display. Some businesses have agreed to take in several artists, she said.