For More Information:

Kristen Wicker, 937-224-1518, ext. 228

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Link to this release: May First Friday

Downtown Dayton Will Be Lit During May First Friday

Free monthly celebration will include photography contest, street cycling, karaoke with a live band, wine and beer tastings, soup in handmade bowls ― and, of course, lots of great art.

Dayton, April 23, 2009 – The next First Friday downtown art hop will be held from 5 to 10 p.m. May 1 at the following locations:

• throughout the Oregon Arts District on East Fifth Street;
• Cannery Art and Design Center, 434 E. Third St.;
• K12 Gallery for Young People, 510 E. Third St.;
• Dayton Visual Arts Center, 118 N. Jefferson St.;
• Dayton Convention Center Mezzanine Gallery, 22 E. Fifth St.;
• H. David Clay Studio, 33 S. St. Clair St.;
• Sandra’s Art Emporium, 27 S. St. Clair St.;
• c{space, 20 N. Jefferson St.; and
• Garden Station, corner of Fourth and Wayne Ave.

The Downtown Dayton Partnership is pleased to announce that CODE Credit Union is now a major sponsor of First Friday. CODE Credit Union is a member-owned, cooperative financial institution that wanted to support the downtown Dayton community. CODE joins First Friday sponsor Greater Dayton RTA.

During the May First Friday, Light Up Dayton, a photo contest to find some new and distinctive angles of downtown, will be held. Business and building owners will leave on their lights to make the skyline especially photogenic that night. The Best in Show winner will receive a $250 cash prize. More information and contest details are available at www.downtowndayton.org.

Courteous Mass, Dayton’s new urban street cycling ride that promotes bicycle awareness, will take place during the May First Friday. Riders will gather at c{space and the ride starts at 5:15 p.m. For more information on Courteous Mass, call 937-272-5930 or check “Courteous Mass-Dayton” on Facebook.com.

First Friday attendees also can get around for free on Greater Dayton RTA’s Wright Flyer. First Friday RTA stops are located throughout downtown and will be marked with special signs.

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May First Friday, page 2

The following exhibits will be on display in the Oregon Arts District:

• Link Gallery, 519 E. Fifth St., will celebrate its first anniversary with “Unchained III,” a group exhibit featuring all of the artists the gallery represents. It will include a diverse collection of paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture, prints, mixed media and blown glass.

• Gallery 510 Fine Art, 510 E. Fifth St., will host the opening of an exhibit featuring the gallery owner, “Loretta Puncer Paintings ― New Works,” an exploration of the canvas surface as a painting foundation.

• Color of Energy, 16 Brown St., will present an exhibit of Bob Rhoads’ painted wood pieces.

For more on the Oregon Arts District, visit www.oregonartsdistrict.com.

The Cannery Art and Design Center will feature Lesley Walton’s oil and graphite portraits. Jazz musician John Hampton Wagner will perform, and David Boston of Boston’s Bistro & Pub will host an imported and American craft beer tasting. For more on the CADC, visit www.canneryarts.com.

At the Dayton Visual Arts Center, Diane Stemper will present a Darwin-inspired installation in the front space of the gallery. For more on DVAC, visit www.daytonvisualarts.org.

Sandra’s Art Emporium features jewelry made by owner Sandra Salyer-Miller and other local artists, along with sculpture and paintings. Salyer-Miller will hold a raffle for a piece of her handmade jewelry.

H. David Clay Studio features functional and decorative stoneware pottery, as well as raku, by proprietor H. David Kirchner, who makes all the work on the premises.

A number of area restaurants and taverns will host special events during First Friday. Blind Bob’s, 430 E. Fifth St., will have karaoke ― with a live band ― starting at 7 p.m. Fifth Street Wine and Deli, 416 E. Fifth St., will host a beer and wine tasting. Pacchia, 410 E. Fifth St., will offer a 15 percent discount on appetizers to First Friday attendees. Therapy Café, 452 E. Third St., will present Eighties Night, featuring DJ Jay spinning ‘80s new wave and some ‘70s disco starting at 9 p.m.

In addition, all the restaurants, retail shops, bars and clubs, Neon Movies, Wiley’s Comedy Club, Urban Krag Climbing Center and other establishments throughout downtown will be open. Garden Station, an urban community garden and art park, will host bonfires and garden tours.

Also in the downtown area, Stivers School for the Arts, 1313 E. Fifth St., will host its annual ceramics department fundraiser, Soup Dressed Up, from 5 to 8 p.m. For $10, guests will receive soup ― in a ceramic bowl of their choosing hand-made by Stivers students ― as well as bread and a drink. Soup Dressed Up also includes an exhibit of student work and pottery sale.

The Downtown Dayton Partnership’s Web site, www.downtowndayton.org, has a complete list of downtown’s arts and cultural amenities, as well as a dining guide, parking map and much more.

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