Wayside to reopen tonight after an 18-month hiatus
Wayside Central is hosting a grand reopening on Aug. 27 and 28, after 18 months of closure due to COVID-19. Over the summer, the business has been rebranding and remodeling.
John Hunter, Wayside Central owner, said the nightclub has seen "a very nice facelift."
As a part of the redesign, Wayside has been outfitted with a new lighting system.
"We took down our old lighting system we got a brand new one, so that's an upgrade and then we kind of went after like a neon theme if you will," Hunter said. "The whole place kind of glows now."
The business brought in artists to help with the appearance of the club by adding graffiti and neon-style art.
Hunter and his team added new booths around the club, upgraded the VIP area and moved their game room.
In addition to physical changes at the club, Wayside held a contest for a new logo.
The contest had 17 logos submitted, which the public voted on through Wayside's social media accounts.
Hunter said the contest winner was Cooper Garcia.
As for COVID-19 protocols, Hunter said the company will be following the standard of what everyone in the state is doing. This includes "highly suggesting that people are vaccinated" and are "recommending that people wear masks."
Wayside will be following the local and state COVID-19 regulations, Hunter said.
Once Wayside is back up and running, Hunter said he hopes to have concerts and special events again.
"We're really excited to have this fresh new brand and atmosphere for the students," Hunter said. "We hope they come and check it out. I think it's an important part of student life to have some type of entertainment and something fun."
