First Fridays, October 7, will celebrate Hispanic Heritage and more including a bra drive and a chicken soup contest in downtown Aurora.
Santori Public Library, 101 S. River Street, will celebrate Hispanic Heritage with artisan ice cream, Danzantes Unidos MITOTILIZTLI dancers, a craft, Oaxacan Woman Cultural Heritage photography exhibit, free adult flu vaccinations, and voter registration from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m..
Aurora Regional Fire Museum, 53 N. Broadway, will be host to CUPS Bra Drive in the Museum’s lawn and parking lot. Food trucks, vendors, and live DJ. Free museum admission will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m..
Endiro Coffee, 29 W. New York Street, will have a Chicken Soup Cook-Off: Indivisible Aurora’s pay-what-you-can fundraiser event for the Community Fridge Project from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m..
The Food Truck Food Court will return from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Water Street Square across from City Hall with Grumpy Gaucho, Strawberries BBQ, Holy Pierogi, Home Run Hot Dogs and Lemonade, Harvey’s Fire Box, New Moon Vegan, Tapville Social and Charity Blooms selling plants and Halloween crafts.
Throughout downtown, the First Fridays event lineup includes approximately 30 activities for all ages.
• French 75 Gallery and Lounge, 56 E. Galena Boulevard, will celebrate their first anniversary with new art and a new Fall cocktail menu from 4 p.m. to midnight.
• If These Walls Could Talk Custom Framing & Gallery, 32 S. Stolp Avenue, will be host to the opening of “Awaken Your Senses Sunrise to Sunset,” and feature oil paintings by artist Janice Czerwinski from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m..
• Nuna Ceramics Art Studio, 77 S. Lake Street, will be open with art on display, pottery demos, and tarot readings by Huge Witch from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m..
• The ArtBar at Two Brothers Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway, will have its October Edition which will feature community artists. Live hand-pulled prints by Tara Zanzig and prints by Angel E. Perez and Ian Little from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m..
• Aurora Public Art at The DLP Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place, will continue “Resilient,” innovative textile works by acclaimed female artists from Chicago from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m..
• McCarty Mills Taproom and Bottleshop, 140 S. River Street, will be open with “Birria Tacos and Art,” and feature Chalos Grill and artist Marco Cardenas until 10 p.m..
• Artesan Lofts Art Gallery, 2 S. Stolp Avenue, will be host to “Gallery of Terrors,” a collaboration with local artists from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m..
• Gary Brown Art Gallery and Studio | Mark Radina Stained Glass, 7 S. Broadway, will celebrate Harvest “A Time to Gather” with live music by guitarist and songwriter Peter Cholewinski from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m..
• The Cotton Seed Creative Exchange, 64 S. River Street, will have “Bats For A Cause: A Creepy Cute Solo Show,” and feature Dzhelasi new snack bats and special art print benefiting Living Beyond Breast Cancer. Music and light refreshments from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m..
• Zen Loft Wellness Center | I of the Angeles, 6 W. Downer Place upstairs, will host “Stories From The Loft: A Night of Songs and Storytelling” at 8 p.m. with Mirabelle Skipworth, Mark Dignam, Aaron Kelly, and Eric Meuer. Magnolia Dance Collective will perform at 7:30 p.m. Enjoy a $1 per minute chair massage, $10 mini-tarot readings, $10 mini-guitar lessons, and hang in hammocks from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m..
• G.A.R. Museum, 23 E. Downer Place, will be open with a night of live music and feature Ryan Carney Trio from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m..
• La Quinta de los Reyes, 36 E. New York St., will have a Fall celebration with free Palomas Samples with dinner and La Sociedad D’Paul Music from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m..
• Altiro Latin Fusion, 1 S. Stolp Avenue, will be host to live Spanish Rock featuring Damián Rivera from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m..
• Wyckwood House Boutique and Cocktail Bar, 80 S. River Street, will be open with live music, Fall cocktails, and fashion from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m..
• Tavern on Broadway, 24 N. Broadway, will have live music from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m..
• Aurora Tap House, 134 W. Downer Place, will be host to live music featuring SonicSoul from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m..
• Aurora Historical Society at The DLP, 20 W. Downer Place, will be open with “Take a Seat” featuring chairs, sofas, and other seating from AHS collections from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m..
• Amy Morton’s Stolp Island Social, 5 E. Galena Boulevard, will feature a First Fridays Drink Special: Frida Kahlo cocktail “What do I need feet for when I have wings to Fly” from 4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m..
• Superjumbo, 105 E. Galena Boulevard, will feature Halloween Time with Halloween merchandise from noon to 8 p.m..
• The Cornucopia Tea & Gift Shop, 63 S. Broadway, will be open with Bewitching Brews Tea Taster and Ghoulish Treats Sale: Come in if you dare to enjoy our festive Fall fair; buy a tea if you please, get the second one free (one night only/exclusions apply) from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• The Perch, 31 W. Downer Place, will host “Night of Hope,” with sales and donations to benefit Mutual Ground in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Create some hopeful art from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m..
• Waubonsee Community College, 18 S. River Street, will be open with a Fall open house featuring a student art show, ceramics, DJ, live jazz, and free t-shirt screen printing from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m..
• Paramount School of the Arts, 20 S. Stolp Avenue, will have a “Not So Scary Halloween Party” with a dance party, costume contests, story room, and crafts from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m..
• Society 57, 100 S. River Street, will have a Detroit Style Pizza pop up and craft cocktails. Square1 Pizza brings back their Motor City inspired pizzas. Live jazz by The Luxure Trio and art by Pierre Lucero from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m..
For more information, visit www.auroradowntown.org.
—Aurora Downtown