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June 2 First Friday: Downtown Pride Edition

May 26, 2017, DAYTON, Ohio — June’s First Friday is full of art, live entertainment, local music, dining specials, and more. It’s also the kickoff for Pride weekend, and the Greater Dayton LGBT Center kicks it off with the annual Affair on the Square tonight on Courthouse Square. Check the detailed listings below for more information. The fun starts on Friday, June 2, with more activities on tap throughout the weekend.

Art lovers will find no shortage of gallery openings to visit, and the local music scene is hopping with performances scheduled at downtown pubs and bars, as well as RiverScape MetroPark that evening. Anyone considering seeing the Philharmonic’s performance or the Dragons game that night might consider starting – or ending – the evening at a downtown restaurant, brewpub, or bistro where dining and drink specials abound.

For more information about First Friday, or to find business addresses, parking, upcoming activities and more, visit the DDP website at downtowndayton.org or use the location-based mobile site, mobile.downtowndayton.org. Invite friends and family to partake in First Friday fun! “Like” and share the First Friday Facebook page or the event page.

Art

• Dayton Art Institute, 456 N. Belmote Park: The School of Advertising Art invites you to join us as the Class of 2017 is revealed. #REVEAL32 features this year’s graduates and their work in the majestic Shaw Gothic Cloister of the Dayton Art Institute. Innovative websites, apps, videos, motion animation, package design, print design, illustration, photography, and more will be showcased. We encourage recruiters, human resource managers, advertising industry professionals to attend from 11:30-3:00PM or 5:30-7PM. Family and friends are welcome to attend from 3:30-5PM. Call 223-4278.

• Dayton Society of Artists, 48 High St.: The Dayton Society of Artists and The Dayton Art Institute are partnering to present David Smith, an exhibition from June 2 through July 1 that will feature over 500 works spanning Smith’s lengthy artistic career. Opening reception, which is free and open to the public is from 6 to 9 PM. Call 228-4532.

• Dayton Visual Arts Center, 118 N Jefferson St.: Join DVAC on First Friday for an exhibition by Glen Cebulash: New Work. View large abstractions by Wright State University Art and Art History Professor and Chair exploring the fundamental nature of painting itself. Call 224-3822.

• Dutoit Gallery, 1001 E. 2nd St. Building 100: Our member artists, Leah Stahl and James Luckett, will be having a collaborative show opening June 2nd 5-9pm. The opening is from 6-9 p.m. Call 952-0246.

• The Front Street Building Co., 1001 E. Second St.: It's time for another 1st Fridays at Front Street! This event features over two dozen art studios and artists all in one location, including painters, sculptors, glass makers, jewelry makers, with a few new things happening there at Front Street. Call 331-9061.

• Front Street Experience Gallery, 16 Brown St.: In addition to the action going on at the Front Street galleries, don’t forget to check out the new satellite location, conveniently located in the Oregon District, co-located with Spice Paradise, across the street from Thai 9. This month’s featured artist is Scott Gibbs. Call 331-9061.

• Wells & Co. Custom Tattoo, 110 E. Third St.: It's another First Friday extravaganza at Wells & Co. Custom Tattoos in the Fire Blocks District! This month showcases Wells & Co artist Mary Katie Hutchins and her illustrations for the magical children's book “The Monster and The Sparrow." Katie's illustrations will be on display, and the author of the book, K.C. Cockerham, will be on hand to perform a special reading. Of course there will be beer, food and drinks all themed to fit the event, and music will be provided by Steve Makofka and The Turtle Chasers! Call 979-4601.

Local Music

• Blind Bob’s, 430 E. Fifth St.: Featuring happy hour from 4 to 8 p.m., $2.50 well drinks. Live music by Manray, Filthy Beast, Salvadore Ross. Call 938-6405.

• De’Lish Café, 139 N. Main St.: Featuring Friday Nights Unplugged with live soul, jazz and R&B music from 9-11 p.m. with no cover charge, plus $5 drink specials all night. Call 461-2233.

• Dublin Pub, 300 Wayne Ave.: Featuring Irish First Fridays, with a happy hour, a performance by the Miami Valley Pipe and Drum group starting around 7 p.m., and live music by DULAHAN starting at 9 p.m. Call 224-7822.

• Gilly’s, 132 S. Jefferson St.: Old Skool Groove Night from 8 p.m. to midnight, $5 admission charge. Call 228-8414.

• Trolley Stop, 530 E. Fifth St.: $5 food specials and sangria, margarita and wine specials from 4-7 p.m. Live music by The Pullouts starting at 9:30 p.m. Call 461-1101.

• RiverScape MetroPark, 237 E Monument Ave.: Pickin' in the Park music series, sponsored by Mikesell's Snack Food Company, is in full swing! Come out for a great night of progressive bluegrass music with performances by Alex DeLange, The Wayfarers and The Last Revel. Be sure to take advantage of the food truck rally and craft beer available for sale! Five Rivers MetroParks Summer Music Series is presented by Dayton.com. Call 274-0126.

• Hannah's on Ludlow, 121 N Ludlow St.: Sub T joined forces to start a Wednesday night jam at their favorite spot, former J-Alan's, and one of the major motivations to get these doors open again was to give them back their stage. Mission accomplished! Sub T will be kicking off the celebration at 10PM. Call 813-8814.

Entertainment

• The Black Box Improv Theater, 518 E. Third St.: Womit 2.0 takes that stage every Friday night from 8-9 p.m. The show format may change but the performers do not! They may interview an audience member, discuss personal stories, or simply take a one-word suggestion to create an hour of fun. BYOB. Call for ticket prices and availability: 369-0747.

• Club Masque, 34 N. Jefferson St.: It’s the Cocktail Hour hosted by Mocha Lisa. Doors open at 7pm and no cover charge until 8pm! Enjoy season 9 of Ru Paul’s Drag race on the screens at 8 pm with commentary by Mocha and complimentary popcorn. Later, it’s TGIF with the Masque Men on stage and a special guest from Ru Paul’s Drag Race! Cover is $7 for 21+ and $10 for 18+. Call 228-2582

• Courteous Mass Dayton, Don Crawford Plaza, 220 N. Patterson Blvd.: Join us as we celebrate Bike Month Belatedly! Bring a bike every First Friday for a relaxed-pace group ride, starting at 6:30 p.m. All riding levels welcome. We will end at RiverScape for the Pickin’ In the Park concert! Visit www.courteousmassdayton.com.

• Dayton Chess Club, 18 W. Fifth St.: Dayton Chess Club hosts a Quick tournament for U.S. Chess Federation members. Games are perfect for club chess players and those experienced with online chess games who would like to test their skill over the board. The club opens at 6:30 p.m. and registration ends at 7:25 p.m. The first of four games begins at 7:30. Visit daytonchessclub.com for more details. Call 461-6283.

• Dayton LGBT Center, Courthouse Square, 23 N. Main St.: Get ready to kick off PRIDE weekend with the “Affair on the Square” featuring food trucks and of course our famous beer truck from 5pm to 10pm. We have some fantastic live entertainment hitting the stage beginning at 6 pm with The Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus and The Rubi Girls!

• Fifth Third Field, 220 N. Patterson Blvd.: Dragons at home at Fifth Third Field against the Fort Wayne Wizards; 7pm start, gates open at 6pm. For tickets call 228-BATS, or go to www.daytondragons.com.

• Nucleus CoShare, 411 W. Fifth St.: Kick off your day by joining us for a FREE donut (+ coffee) breakfast and FREE workday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.! People everywhere are discovering the power of co-working. Nucleus CoShare understands that privacy, personal space, cost, and productivity can be a concern for those interested in the idea! Call 259-4686.

• Therapy Cafe, 452 E. Third St.: Bass Cult and ALTRU Events kicks off the summer with wicked style! A black light music and art experience to set the season off with the greatest vibes. Join us at 9 PM and come get DOWN with the city’s biggest party DJs and a special headliner artist, who has opened for national artist across the country! Tickets are $5 for anyone 18 years or older to party but must be 21 or older to drink. Call 461-4000.

• Third Perk Coffeehouse and Wine Bar, 46 W. Fifth St.: Come paint the town with Picture Perfect Paint Parties! We will be painting wine glasses and coasters from 6:30-8:30 PM. Visit pictureperfectpaintparties.com for tickets. Call 223-7375.

• The Schuster Center, 1 W. Second St.: The Excite Season for the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance continues without slowing its musical pace. Join the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and its guest, Maestro Neal Gittleman, for a sensational evening of memorable Mozart music. One of the most beloved television shows of the 1980s, Family Ties, also takes to the stage at 8pm in the Loft Theater. Visit ticketcenterstage.com for tickets.

Food and Drink

• Deaf Monty’s Wine, 22 Brown St.: $2-$3 tastings of select wines. Call 225-9463.
• De’Lish Café, 139 N. Main St.: Friday Nights Unplugged features live music plus $5 food and drinks specials and $4 wines. Call 461-2233.

• Dayton LGBT Center, Courthouse Square, 23 N. Main St.: Join us for the Svedka .5K Bar Crawl at approximately 9:30 pm, immediately following the “Affair on the Square.” Participants will be led by four different team captains to four participating bars where they will be served their first drink, then move on to the next and subsequent bars for the next rounds. Participating bars are: Masque, MJ’s on Jefferson, The Stage Door, and The Right Corner. Cost is $15 for LGBTQA Center members and $20 for non-members. Purchase tickets on Eventbrite.

Shopping

• Epic Life Fitness: 118 N. Jefferson St.: Patrons can stop by between 4-8 p.m. to schedule a free assessment and receive 20% off their first package with the purchase of four sessions or more. Call 371-8258.

• Montgomery County Fairgrounds, 1043 S. Main Street.: Book Sale is BACK! Friends of the Dayton Metro Library host sale at Montgomery County Fairgrounds on Friday, June 2, 4:00-8:00 p.m. Everything is $1.00! That's right, we mean everything! Books, DVDs, CDs, Books on CD - so stock up on your summer reading and entertainment. All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Dayton Metro Library to fund library programs. For more information, visit DaytonMetroLibrary.org/Friends or call (937) 463-BOOK.

• Clash: 521 E. Fifth St.: Clash will be featuring handmade clocks by local artist John Knabe. John gets a lot of his inspiration from Tim Burton which you will see from his work. Call 241-9434.

• Brim: 464 E. Fifth St.: Brim will have a trunk show with Columbus-based natural skincare company Under Aurora. With amazing spray coconut oil for hair and skin, fresh subtle scented oils, and shut-the-front-door good face washes, we're confident you'll fall in love. Call 222-4287.

The Downtown Dayton Partnership’s website has a complete list of downtown’s arts and cultural amenities, as well as a dining guide, parking map and much more. Download the Find It Downtown mobile search tool for smartphones at http://mobile.downtowndayton.org.