The Downtown Development Authority will host its third-quarter Downtown Breakfast Club Wednesday at 8 a.m. in the Downtown Conference Center.

It is free and open to the public.

The breakfast offers a chance for business owners to learn about downtown incentives and opportunities, network, meet the DDA board of directors and grab a bite to eat. said Stephanie Aylworth, Main Street manager for the city of Douglasville.

“We’re all about getting businesses into downtown,” Aylworth said.

The breakfast is sponsored this quarter by Wenck Travel, and the guest speaker will be Jeremiah Hensley, from Edward Jones Investing. Aylworth said Hensley would focus on financial planning for employees.

This is the first of several events the DDA has scheduled for this fall. A Downtown Recognition Banquet will be held Oct. 6, beginning at 6:30 p.m., at the Downtown Conference Center. This event will honor the work of DDA committee volunteers and business owners, along with recognizing outstanding economic development in the downtown business district, Aylworth said.

Tickets are $10 for general admission and $5 for Friends of Main Street members.

Keynote speaker is Sam Olens, chairman of the Cobb County Board of Commissioners and chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission.

“We are very fortunate to have Sam Olens,” Aylsworth said. Olens will speak first and awards will be presented later, she added.

The Main Street Fall Community Market is set for Oct. 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on O’Neal Plaza. It will feature arts and crafts, as well as a farmer’s market section and entertainment. Performing on the plaza between 1-3 p.m. will be a “Douglasville ... So You Think You Can Dance?” competition open to local dance groups, high school groups or any other professional dance studio groups of two or more people 18 years or under.

At 6 p.m., Hit the Bricks After Dark Presents will sponsor a free concert on the O’Neal Plaza stage.

Aylworth described it as a family fun public setting.

“We did this back in the spring and it was so popular we brought it back for fall,” Aylworth said.

She said proceeds from all fund-raisers go toward downtown development, specifically to the Facade Grants program, which allocates funds to assist with storefront renovations, and recently added financial incentives.

“If you are a retail business and relocate downtown for one year, we will give you money to market your business,” Aylworth said.

There are other incentives, such as a revolving loan fund that assists business owners with renovation and start-up costs, federal and state tax incentives that offer tax breaks for retail renovation, and city-appointed volunteers that head committees that support and promote downtown businesses.

Currently, downtown occupancy is at 90 percent, according to Aylworth, and DDA is looking for specialty retail and service businesses to contribute to the business mix of restaurants and professional services. She said she is happy to show the available spaces or get in touch with property owners, if necessary.