First Friday is an event available at the Downtown Canton Arts District from 6-10pm on the first Friday of each month. Each event has a different theme and provides art, live music, vendors, food, children's activities, and more. We attended the July 3rd, "Chalk the Walk" themed event.
There were dozens of artists making sidewalk murals and musicians peppered along the sidewalks and at some stages. Several students were performing Shakespeare (I think) but it was too loud to hear what they were saying. Another group from the North Canton Playhouse traveled throughout the arts district performing songs from "Rent". We also watched as a professional sandcastle artist created a 5-6ft tall sandcastle. And, there was one area where kids were encouraged to "chalk the walk".
Several of the galleries offered kids' crafts - some for a $1-2 fee, some free. My kids did the spin art at the 2nd April Galerie - they used paint on q-tips to decorate a round paper spinning on an old record player. That was a big hit! But the studio was on the third floor with very narrow hallways and a long wait which made it kind of a pain to search out. Lynda Tuttle's Art Center provided a free family art workshop where my children could make-and-take their own piece of art. The kids enjoyed making designs on paper by dipping chalk in paint. There was also a variety of vendors - food, art, photographs, jewelry, services.
INSIDER TIPS:
- If you're going with kids GO EARLY! Plan on parking before 6pm and arriving right at 6pm. The crowd is smaller and there's more parking available. By 7:30pm, it was already getting crowded with the adults coming down for dinner and drinks.
- Stick with free parking on-street or at the YMCA, library, Christ Presbyterian or St. Peters. Some lots were charging $5 for parking but you'd still have to walk a block or two.
- With kids, start at the north end of the district and head south. The beer garden and some of the "adult" attractions are in the northern section, which gets crowded when they fill up later in the evening.
- Bring the camera! There are many metal sculptures that your child WILL want to pose with.
- Go to the First Friday web site (http://www.cantonfirstfriday.com/) before you go to find out where the kids' crafts are going to be. There isn't much signage to point out places of interest for kids.
- If you want to go into the galleries, you may want to carry small kids in a sling or backpack instead of using a stroller. One of the largest galleries, 2nd April Galerie, is three floors with narrow hallways and small individual showing spaces. Definitely no room for a stroller!
- Tons of music! Some of the music from the stage was loud, but the kids loved the smaller bands peppered throughout the venue and did not hesitate to dance.
- Wide variety of things to see and do - something for everyone.
- Sounds mundane, but they had good bathroom facilities and open space to eat. With small kids, you always have to know where the bathroom is! By the large soundstage, there was an open field with some picnic tables and ample port-a-pots. Even better, they had a hand-washing station and paper towels.
WHAT I WOULD CHANGE ABOUT FIRST FRIDAY:
- Provide a map of the actual "Arts District" and label the individual galleries - the map of downtown parking they provide is good, but it was hard to tell what was a part of First Friday.
- Many of the gallery listings on the site or in the promo materials did not have full addresses, just "6th street" - making them hard to find for those of us who are unfamiliar with downtown.
- Have more of the kids' crafts outside of the galleries, so they're easy to find and have more room, and so those who want to see the exhibits are crowded by families waiting for their turn to do projects.
September 4: The Color of Music
October 2: Oktoberfest
November 6: Harvest Moon
December 4: Snow Much to do Downtown
We just got an update from First Friday - they have made some updates that "fix" some of the points mentioned in the "What I would Change About First Friday" section.
ReplyDeleteFirst, the map has been updated and now many of the features are specifically listed, as well as all of the galleries and performance areas that are part of First Friday.
Second, they have added a section to the map that lists all of the children's activities available. Finally, there is a link to the upcoming First Friday event front and center on their home page, so it's easier to find.
Check the map out at: http://cantonfirstfriday.com/Documents/FF_Map_%20Inside_Flyer_Sept_4_09.pdf
Thanks to Sarah Shumaker for the information and updates - it should make getting to the event and finding the features you want to see MUCH easier. Great work!