People looking for some lunchtime entertainment and a special deal on food can look forward to the kick off of the May Concert Series on the square at noon, Thursday with the Newton High School Band and Newton County Honor Band performing.

In addition to the concerts, which will take place every Thursday, Main Street Covington Director Josephine Kelly said local eateries will be having special offers to encouraging attendees to buy lunch downtown in addition to offering call-in service so that lunch will be ready to picked up in advance of the concert.

"The May Concert Series marks the beginning of the summer event season in the downtown district and brings out a wonderful mix of attendees. It is the most long-standing event in the downtown district," Kelly said in an email.

"One of the long term goals is to make downtown Covington a cultural arts and entertainment destination, and activities such as the concert series are important elements in fulfilling this goal."

The event is sponsored by Main Street Covington's Downtown Business Council, the Arts Association in Newton County, The Covington News and Honda of Conyers.

If parking downtown is unavailable, residents are encouraged to park at the city of Covington parking lot beside the Church Street Lofts as well as overflow on-street parking on College Avenue beside the police department.

In case of rain, all concerts will be held at the Turner Lake Recreation Complex, located off the Clark Street roundabout.