The curtain rises on the Rotary Club’s Butler Arts and Cultural District, which will make a grand entrance in the fall.

The launch is set for Oct. 8 and will offer musical performances, exhibits and a chance to walk half of the geographical district designated to the project.

Leslie Osche, project chairwoman for the cultural district and secretary of the Rotary Club of Butler PM, said the launch will be a lot to pull off.

“We’re trying to generate excitement for the district,” she said. “The goal is to have people walking into the churches, seeing the exhibits and performances, seeing the stained glass.”

The Rotary Club PM started brainstorming about the Arts and Cultural District last year. Club leaders proposed it as a geographic block of North Washington, West Jefferson, North McKean, Charles and North Main streets to be the site of events for and aesthetic updates for the arts.

A group of 30 stakeholders in the arts community met at the Butler Art Center last week to discuss the launch. According to Osche, the focus of the launch will be on entities on East Main Street from Jefferson to Howard streets and the North McKean Street corridor.

“We’re thinking an afternoon event, which will conclude with the Butler Little Theatre’s performance of the play ‘Social Security,’” she said.

Osche also mentioned having a poetry walk at the Butler Area Public Library, exhibits at the Maridon Museum, and miscellaneous outdoor performances.

“It’s to get people moving and strolling about in that area, enjoying that part of town,” she said. “Next time we’ll move to the other side of Main Street for a taste of what it will feel like.”

In preparation for the launch, organizations like the Associated Artists of Butler County are asking for local painters, craftsmen or photographers to submit pieces for banners throughout the district. The theme is “Visions of CommUnity” and seeks to highlight the past and look forward to the future.

Osche said a website and social media pages for the cultural district are in the works, and should be launching in the fall.

“We have to highlight the cultural assets of the city in a cohesive kind of way,” she said. “I’m excited to see the cultural groups come together.”

She also hopes that the cultural district will achieve its goal in attracting younger artists and new businesses to Butler.

“Some of the young people have been getting engaged in this process; that’s my favorite part,” she said. “(The launch is) an intro of what’s to come.”

Osche said those interested in the launch should keep an eye out for more information on social media in the coming weeks.

Submissions for “Visions of CommUnity” banners will be accepted until Aug. 28. For more information, visit butlerartcenter.org.