FAIRBURY, NE — Just as the summer season gets underway, a new event space opens in downtown Fairbury.

"There was a lot of people wanting and needing live entertainment, unique dining experiences, things to do," On the Bricks Lofts and Venue Co-owner Cody Moyer said.

Cody Moyer says his family got the idea for On the Bricks Lofts and Venue after seeing results of a downtown revitalization survey from the city.

What started as him just working on the sale of the building as a realtor agent, turned into Cody and his wife Jenny Moyer spending a year renovating the space into an entertainment venue.

Now the work pays off as the space opens its doors to the public for the first time Friday and Saturday.

"I hope they're like, 'Wow'," Cody said. "I would use some more colorful language if it was appropriate, but I hope they have their socks knocked off."

Located across the street from Heartland Bank, the nights will feature food, drinks and live music. Doors open at 5 p.m.

Named for the red brick streets of downtown Fairbury, On the Bricks is open to public and private events. Cody says reservation requests poured in almost immediately.

"Before we even had all the old tenants personal property out of here we had a booking for a wedding and a booking for a graduation party," Cody said. 

On the Bricks Lofts and Venue also works to capture the small town feel with the help of local artists who helped worked on certain features of the space like signage and bar tops.

The history also kept alive. On the floorboards, one can still see where shelving sat during the building’s former life as a Hestead’s Department Store. Old brick exposed in the shape of the Cornhusker state adorns the north wall.

"I'm proud of pulling in all those unique qualities of the building and the local talent that we had to add to the space," Cody said. 

Now the Moyers hope the building with plenty of stories will add to the stories of those who use it.

"It just has a good energy, a good vibe, and I hope people really come together down here and just have unique experiences for maybe something they rent it for for their family, to attending a wedding, to attending one of our live events."

For more information on public events happening at On the Bricks, head to their Facebook Page.