The First Friday Experience

The ArtWalk in this town is off the charts.

I was out for Flagstaff's First Friday this past weekend, with my 13-year old son, Harper. We had a blast. We hit the downtown scene at about 6:15, after a few minutes of struggling to find a parking spot. In fact, our search for parking was pretty bleak. We scoured the streets around the core of downtown and found nothing. Then we scoured the streets adjacent to downtown and found nothing - even my usual 'hidden' spots were gone. I pulled back on Route 66, heading west, prepared to park and walk a ways... and then, boom - there's a spot right on Route 66, right in front of Shane Knight Gallery. This was a good omen.

We stopped in and chatted with Shane while Harper had a couple of pieces of the fried chicken they offer up at Shane Knight Gallery during many First Fridays. I talked a bit with Shane and he told me an interesting thing: business was much better for him on the road (he travels to high-end art fairs and markets) than in the gallery. Not a great omen for downtown Flagstaff.

Next, I dragged Harper, still licking at his fingers from the tasty chicken, to Heritage Square. Rumor was that both Kara Kelty, for Mayor, and Art Babbott, for City Council, were declaring their candidacies tonight. Both true. I wanted to see it. It was interesting to watch and chat briefly with those who were around. Saw a lot of people I knew and had some intriguing conversation. It's going to be an interesting election in Flagstaff this Spring.

The night was a fun and eventful one. I could give you tons of narration for everywhere we went, but I'll stick with the highlights and keep this post to a respectable length. What do I remember looking back on the best First Friday since May?...

• John Running's 40-year retrospective at Flagstaff Photography Center (his work is really really good).
• The opening of the Fizz Bath Shop, which sells handmade soaps and lotions.
• The Hallway Art Show behind Fizz, with Mike Frick, Uncle Buzz Chocolates, and other artists. Live music and a really good vibe. People were having fun here all night long.
• Stopping in to say hi to Carolyn and Robin at West of the Moon, and then spilling hummus on the floor to keep my clutz quotient up.
• Trying to smuggle Harper into the Green Room to see the festivities. Couldn't get in. Bouncer didn't even flinch when I said, "but he just shaved!"
• Visiting a positively hoppin' Artists Coalition of Flagstaff gallery, with Mike Frankel's loud voice echoing down the hallway. Somehow, in a tiny space, they manage to kill it every ArtWalk. Festive.
  
• Popped into to make amends at two spots on San Francisco street: first, Arizona Handmade Gallery (we accidentally omitted them from the ArtWalk map - big oops), where Stacy Mark and George Averback (co-owners) were very gracious with me - they didn't even throw me out. Also, really happy to see Stacy's work getting some attention in the current Mountain Living magazine.
• Next, amends at Alley Cats Salon (we managed to list their address incorrectly on the ArtWalk map). I met Janice, the owner, who toured me through their cute little space, and told me about her policy for hiring stylists who curse on the job (that it's good if they do - shows character I guess?). Dudley Bacon was the artist showing there. I'm going back for a haircut this week.
  
• Jumping in to Old Town Shops - after 8pm - I was worried we had missed the party. Nope, still rockin'. The breakdancers at Black Hound Gallerie were cool, and the first time all night Harper showed a little interest in anything we'd seen. It's hard to impress a 13-year old.
• Bumping into Sam from the Eagle (103.7 FM) outside Uptown Billiards. She told us stories and made us laugh (yes, even Harper).
• Ending the night with dinner at Diablo Burger, where we were packed in like sardines. That place is popular. It's worty of it.
  

Walking away at the end of the night, I was satisfied from all the fun we had and friends we laughed with, but sad that we missed so many other spots I wanted to hit: Showspace Gallery, Grandon Art Gallery (two places I usually get to), the new show at Beaver Street Gallery, and everything on the southside. Oh well, there's always next month!

Cheers,
JT