Cheers to First Friday

Aug. 30—First Friday offers fun for all ages in downtown Bakersfield but this month has some treats for adults. From a brand-new event to the kickoff to a martini competition, you can raise a glass to fun.

Tapping into the synergy of the monthly downtown gathering is the new pop-up Batch, Please! at Fredo's on 19th Street.

The event to highlight art and delicious batch cocktails is the brainchild of Jimmy Hollispeasy, the owner of Oleander Ice.

Hollispeasy, who is friends with restaurateur Alfred (Freddy) Cabrera, said they were brainstorming a creative use of the additional space at Fredo's, which was formerly Metro Galleries.

"There is an upstairs space that was being underutilized," Hollispeasy said. "Let's put art on the walls. We're doing cocktails and consulting on that. We'll have a new artist every month or every other month."

First up is Marjorie Dow, who came to the project courtesy of Bakersfield Museum of Art curator Victor Gonzales.

Hollispeasy said, "He has been immensely helpful on the art side. He said, 'I have someone who is gallery-ready.'"

"I got a sneak peek," Hollispeasy said of Dow's work for the show. "It's beautiful."

Along with art and a DJ set by Jordan Aguirre, the event will feature a quartet of batch cocktails developed by Hollispeasy and his wife, Sandy, which will be served at the mobile bar the pair built.

Perfecting batch cocktails came from the couple's experiences entertaining large groups.

"We got really good at batching punches instead of playing bartender the entire time. Making these really complex drinks that have a lot of things going on that don't require a lot of preparation (to serve)."

There will be four drinks available at the event including a classic spritz. The ABV is a potent dark sipper (clocking in at about 25% ABV) made with amaro, bourbon and vermouth. A lacto-fermented raspberry syrup and amaro zhuzhes up the Cali Mucho, a riff on the Basque iconic pairing of red wine and Coke. The Basic Batch plays up tropical flavors with coconut and pineapple juices, scratch-made coconut rum and a little bit of nutmeg.

The restaurant will also be serving its own cocktails downstairs as well as pizza and other food.

Batch, Please! will run from 7 to 11 p.m. at Fredo's, 1604 19th St. Follow @batchpleasebakersfield on Instagram for the latest information.

The Downtown Business Association will kick off its annual Martini Competition on Friday.

Martini lovers will be able to head to a variety of participating venues, sample the competing cocktail and vote via a QR code.

The contest runs through Sept. 10. On Sept. 14, the top three vote-getters will compete in person before a panel of celebrity judges who will name the winner at the Taste of Downtown event at The Iron Lily.

Participating locations are KC Steakhouse and its adjacent Stockyard Speakeasy (2515 F St.), Nuestro Mexico (716 21st St.), McMurphy's Irish Pub (14 Monterey St.), Silver Fox Starlite Lounge (702 18th St.), Pyrenees Cafe (601 Sumner St.), The Aura Lounge (2022 Chester Ave.), Mamma Mia (1418 18th St.), Jerry's Pizza & Pub (1817 Chester Ave.), Eagles Lodge (1718 17th St.) and the new Eye Street Pub (1818 Eye St.)

For September, the Bakersfield Art Association Art Center (1607 19th St.) is presenting a group show featuring work by students of artist and instructor Iva Fendrick.

There will also be a virtual show on the Bakersfield Art Association website, Facebook and Instagram pages.

Fendrick has been teaching watercolor classes at the BAA Art Center for at least 15 years.

Artists with work in the group show include Alicia Casarez, Deborah Cooper, Janet Fenton, Kay Hall, Claudia Keith, Catherine Malanowski, Marcia Ohlman, Mimi Placencia, Debbie Sakowski, Pam Smith and Jane Thornton.

Casarez said she has learned so much in Fendrick's class, sharing in the BAA newsletter, "She spends time with everyone and gives gentle critiques and a lot of encouragement. I love my classmates and look forward to going to class every week."

"I take Iva's class to reawaken a part of me that lay dormant," Ohlman said of her experience. "It makes me very happy to be creative. And I've learned a lot from Iva."

Placencia, who said she takes the class for the fun of it, added that "I lose myself in the process and enjoy the company of the other artists in the class."

There will be a reception on Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. On Sept. 8, the artists will be present for a reception from 5 to 8 p.m.

The artist's reception will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. at the center, 1607 19th St. Refreshments will be served.

There will also be a virtual show on the Bakersfield Art Association's website (bakersfieldartassociation.org), Facebook (facebook.com/BAAartists) and Instagram (@bakersfieldartassociation) pages.

The BAA satellite show location Dagny's Coffee Co. (1600 20th St.) will host a show highlighting work from Roline Loung.

Loung began sketching 10 years ago, eventually graduating to painting. She is also taking classes to study oils, watercolors, pastels and ink on silk.

Born in New York, the UC Santa Cruz graduate later moved to Bakersfield where she and her husband, Gary, raised their three daughters. They are now enjoying their retirement years.

The artist started out drawing animals and now in paintings she is trying to capture their expressions. Captivated by vibrant colors, she has also branched out into sunsets and seascapes.

Vend-N-Vibe returns to BottleShock Wine + Brew (1002 19th St., Suite C) from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Put on by Miche Events and organized by Howie Castanon of Howie's Micheladas, the event will include local vendors, music and food.

The 21-and-over event will again feature adult beverages including michelada vendors and offerings from BottleShock.

You can also grab next door a local craft beer at 2nd Phase Brewing (1004 19th St.), which will offer live music by Waterfall from 7 to 9 p.m. and host the Oh, Boy! Po'boy food truck.

The Brickyard Downtown (1020 18th St.) will host an open mic night starting at 6 p.m. with performers including Sue Laws, Shontice Marie, Cristin Perry, Jodie Rae and more.

Located at the former Frameworks on 18th Street, the venue will also host vendors inside and a collection of food trucks parked outside.

Trucks will sell food from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (check hours with individual trucks). Friday's lineup includes Sabor Taino Smokehouse BBQ (barbecue with a Puerto Rican twist), Mondough's Smashburger, FireWater Cocinita (Mexican-style snacks and frescas with a twist), Poppi's Pastrami & More and Sweet Edna's Southern BBQ, which is serving the sweet potato pie that won last weekend's Baked Potato Bash put on by the Boy Scouts Southern Sierra Council.

Visit @brickyarddowntown on Instagram for more information.

Listen to live music from Hot Mess Express, which returns to Off the Rails (1517 18th St.) to perform from 8 to 10 p.m. Bucky's Hot Chicken will be on site selling sliders, tenders and fries from 5 to 9 p.m.

Enjoy free admission to the Bakersfield Museum of Art (1930 R St.) and check out its summer exhibitions, most of which will close Sept. 9 to make way for the fall exhibitions.

On display is "The Circle of Sam Francis: Experimenting in California," featuring work from the internationally known abstract expressionist painter as well as pieces from other artists who were inspired by and worked alongside him.

Visitors can also take in "Rotem Reshef: Vista," the large-scale installation of scrolls and stretched canvases painted using imprints of native flowers, trees and shrubs; the Visual Arts Festival "Saturation," which includes the work of more than 30 artists who explored the theme of saturation through repetition and color choice; "Dynamic, Surreal, Vibrant: Marion Osborn Cunningham," highlighting the work of the namesake of the museum (formerly the Cunningham Memorial Gallery); and "Nostalgia: Selections from the Students in the BMoA ArtWorks Program."

The museum has extended hours from 10 a.m to 8 p.m. Visit bmoa.org for more information.

The ArtWalk, which is organized by the Arts Council of Kern, returns next month. Visit @kernarts on Facebook for updates on vendor applications for the gathering at 19th and Eye streets.

Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.