First Fridays in Aurora will find emphasis on kids, teens

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First Fridays will feature nearly two dozen venues open with art, music, and more activities Friday, May 7. The monthly event returned in April after going virtual for various dates last year.

May’s event will have something for everyone, and includes more than a handful of activities geared towards kids and teens.

The Alive Center for Teens, 78 S. LaSalle Street, inside Community Christian Church, will participate in First Fridays for the first time with a Hot Wheels Super Track Race. There will be a track set up for racing cars on the sidewalk. The new teen center will give tours from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m..

APS Training Academy, 105 E. Galena Boulevard, on the fourth floor of the First Midwest Bank Building, will have a S.T.E.A.M. class open house from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.. Students K-12 can play the Among Us online game while exploring what free classes are available at APS Training Academy.

Inside the bank building, French 75, a new cocktail lounge coming to downtown Aurora, will pop up on the third floor for a sneak peek from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.. The new lounge and art gallery will feature artwork by its owner, Hope Ashworth.

Food trucks will park at the lot adjacent to the Bank building at 2 S. Broadway from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.. Joining the lineup will be Harvey’s Fire Box, Grumpy Gaucho, Da Pizza Dude, Holy Pierogi, and Home Run Dogs. Food vendors are subject to change. Please check Aurora Downtown’s Facebook page for updates.

First Fridays will continue through December with the exception of July.

Friday, May 7, a variety of venues will offer the following mix of activities:

• Artesan Lofts Gallery, 2 S. Stolp Avenue, will be open with the Doug Jeppesen Combo jazz band. Resident artists display their work from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m..

• Gallery 1904, 1 E. Benton Street, will feature gallery show “Nature: POV x 3,” with media art and photography by artists Mary Rodriguez, John Stark, and Helen Ratzlow from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m..

• Gary Brown Art Gallery and Studio, 7 S. Broadway, will have “Burst of Colors,” monotype art by Maureen McKee along with live music from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m..

• Aurora Tap House, 134 W. Downer Place, will feature comic book illustrator Billy Barnette from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and then DJ HappyMeal plays 1980s tunes starting at 9 p.m..

• McCarty Mills Taproom, 140 S. River Street, Unit 108, will feature Artist of the Month Laura Lynne Art until 10 p.m..

• Simply Destinee, 122 W. Downer Place, will be host to Cinco de Mayo Kids offering an art club, dancing, and open mic for students from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m..

• The Riverfront Playhouse, 11-13 Water Street Mall, will be host to Live Music with The Heels from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m..

• Altiro Latin Fusion, 1 S. Stolp Avenue, will feature live music from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m..

• Tavern On Broadway, 24 N. Broadway, will be open with live music by Olivia Ports from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m..

• La Quinta De los Reyes, 36 E. New York Street, will have a Cinco de Mayo party from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with Elvis Impersonator Michael St. Angel starting at 6:30 p.m..

• Creaciones Morelos, 14 N. Broadway, will celebrate Spring with additional discounts on Mexican artisans. Open until 9 p.m..

• The Perch, 31 W Downer Place, Suite 301, will have a Spring Sale and Kid Craft. Greeting cards, mindfulness resources, spiritual wellness gifts, and self-care products on sale. Plus kids can make a free meaningful gift for mom from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m..

• Paramount School of the Arts and Paramount Theatre, 20 S. Stolp Avenue, will have a Mother’s Day market from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with jewelry, face masks, home accessories, and more from Paramount staff including Theresa Ham, Costume Designer; Jesse Gaffney, Props Designer; Anne Hauge, Paramount costume shop; Abbie Reed, former Paramount draftsperson.

• Wyckwood House, 14 W. Downer Place, will be open late with speciality gifts for Mother’s Day from local designers and makers. Custom gifts by calligraphy artist Lisa Johnson and Jess and Sammy from Slate and Clove offering all natural bath and body products and custom prints from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m..

• Aurora Regional Fire Museum, 53 N. Broadway, will be open for a video game night with Windy City game theater featuring more than 100 video games along with Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo switch. The museum will be open from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m..

• Happy Thoughts Suicide Awareness Outreach, 31 W. Downer Place, Suite 212, will host The Pride Project: Registration for our Youth Development Program. Candles will be available for sale. 3 p.m. to 8 p.m..

• The Cotton Seed Creative Exchange, 8 N. Broadway, will be host to “It’s a A Spring Thing” pop up along with live music by Frankii Davis and Jazzquatch from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.. Book Signing by Devan The Artist, onsite engraving by Meaningful Letters, and baked treats for sale by Christy’s Little Bakery.

• Society 57, 100 S. River Street, will be open after hours with Mokuso Pop-Up featuring cocktails and Japanese skewers from the grill from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m..

• Offbeat Thrift & Vintage, 14 W. Downer Place, Suite 16, Basement, will host Ruby Retro: Second hand housewares and clothing with a retro flair from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m..

• All Spoked Up, 14 W. Downer Place, Suite 10, will feature Trash Kween pop-up shop. Shop Trash Kween offers, styled, curated, and altered, vintage clothing, and accessories from the 1960s to present from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m..

For those looking for a crowd-free experience, First Fridays will offer the following:

Chalk the Mall at Water Street Mall between Downer Place and Galena Boulevard. Bring your own chalk and draw on the concrete to create chalk art along Water Street Mall near City Hall.

Aurora Historical Society at David L. Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Place, will feature a historical baseball storefront display highlighting Aurora’s baseball history with historic photos and artifacts.

Masks are required indoors. For more information on First Fridays events, visit auroradowntown.org.

—Aurora Downtown

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