Guthrie is sprucing up the place as concert arrives this week

With the upcoming Gentleman of the Road event arriving this weekend, downtown Guthrie has seen several beautification projects with numerous volunteers and donations leading the way.

With an estimated crowd of 40,000-plus concert and festival attendees, the city is preparing to show off Guthrie as the town of 10,000 will be put on the map. Among several talents embarking on the state’s first capital, Mumford & Sons headlines the event with a two-day concert in the Cottonwood Flats beginning on Friday and a three-day downtown festival starting on Thursday evening.

On Saturday, Police Chief Damon Devereaux and Lt. Mark Bruning teamed up with jail trustees from the Logan County Sheriff’s Office to edge and weed eat the curves from 18th Street all the way down Noble down to 5th Street. Photo Gallery

A few days later on Monday, the jail trustees were joined by Fire Chief Eric Harlow as they went up and down the city’s downtown area priming and painting fire hydrants. The hydrants were painted yellow and later in the spring will paint the code stems and caps. Harlow went on to say they hope to attend the other hydrants in town this fall. Photo Gallery

Long time residents Carol Hirzel, Ludd Lentz and Joe Coffin, who make up the Save Our Depot Foundation (SOD), donated funds to help keep Guthrie safe and beautiful.

With help from Carla Bale and the SOD Foundation, all 32 trash canisters were transported off site, power washed and scraped, spray painted and returned back downtown. Photo Gallery

However, the SOD group gave majority of the credit to James “Long Hair” Gallant and his assistants, William Forbes and Rene Rosas, for their effort in painting the trash cans and adding the new liners. They did the task in just a day and a half.

Gallant and crew also painted nearly 100 barricades that will be used down in the flats and downtown to help organize traffic.

The City of Guthrie street department has been busy the past several weeks as well preparing for the event. Crews have been trimming trees in the flats and sprucing up the entry ways into the city as visitors exit the highway and into Guthrie.

The crowds are expected to start rolling in on Thursday and when they do they will see a polished off town of Guthrie.

Gentlemen of the Road Stopover in Guthrie: September 6 – 7

Friday Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros Phosphorescent Justin Townes Earle Willy Mason

Saturday Yacht Club DJs Mumford & Sons Alabama Shakes The Vaccines HAIM Half Moon Run Those Darlins Bear’s Den