Scare up fun this First Friday
Oct. 4—It will be no tricks and all treats this First Friday with plenty of fun to be had downtown.
Art comes in all forms including automobiles. Friday night, restored and vintage vehicles will cruise Chester as part of the sixth annual Streets of Bakersfield Cruizin' Shine.
From 7 to 9 p.m., participating vehicles will head down a stretch of the road. Spectators are invited to bring their lawn chairs and enjoy our downtown with the parade of hot rods.
The event continues Saturday with a car show on Chester from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Those on foot can head over to the Arts Council of Kern's ArtWalk, which will take place from 5 to 9 p.m. on the sidewalks along 19th and Eye streets.
Dozens of artists and vendors will set up booths with their art and handmade goods for sale.
After a successful first outing, the pop-up Batch, Please! returns to Fredo's on 19th Street.
Jimmy Hollispeasy, owner of Oleander Ice, teamed with restaurateur Alfred (Freddy) Cabrera, to make use of the second-floor space at Fredo's, which was formerly Metro Galleries.
This month the event will highlight art by Alex Zamora in a display courtesy of Bakersfield Museum of Art curator Victor Gonzales. Zamora last had a local solo show in June at The Empty Space's new location on Woodmere Drive.
Along with art and music by the Jay Smith Group, the event will feature batch cocktails developed by Hollispeasy and his wife, Sandy, which will be served at their mobile bar.
Drinks include the Lagrimas Negras, "a smoky and sweet welcome to fall" made with tequila, mezcal, xocolatl bitters and Averna; Hold Me Chela, a libation of pineapple, lime, agave, chili liqueur and Modelo; Devil in the Details, combining tequila, cassis, lime, mezcal and ginger beer; and Tropical Me Maybe, a nonalcoholic offering of Jamaica infused with spices, pineapple, mint, lime and orgeat.
The restaurant will also be serving its own cocktails downstairs as well as pizza and other food.
Batch, Please! will run from 7 to 9 p.m. at Fredo's, 1604 19th St. Follow @batchpleasebakersfield on Instagram for the latest information.
Alicia Cazarez is the featured artist at BAA satellite art location Dagny's Coffee Co. for the month of October.
A student of Iva Fendrick, Cazarez quickly stood out in class with her brilliant and unique style, according to the BAA newsletter. Inspired by her love of the macabre, she was invited to feature her work for this Halloween month.
She is a watercolor artist and the newest tattoo apprentice at Downtown Fineline Classic.
Watercolor and tattoos have always been intertwined for Cazarez, she wrote in her artist's statement.
"I began my watercolor journey a couple years ago when I decided I wanted to pursue tattooing. I knew I needed to better myself as an artist, so I decided to take classes at the Art Association. At the time I didn't know just how in love I would become with the medium, nor did I realize just how important it would become to me."
Her pieces represent how she views the world or how she would love to see it.
She likes to explore "What If" ideas — "What if I can show how I feel? What if I can make someone else see how they feel? What if I can take something everyone knows & completely change it into something else?"
The artist loves the idea that anyone can be kooky and wrote that "If you were to open the door to my mind, each piece would be a different room. Filled with music, monsters, & surrealism. All things that I love."
Her work will be on display at Dagny's (1600 20th St.) through the month.
For October, the Bakersfield Art Association Art Center (1607 19th St.) is presenting the work of Charlotte White.
Painting in the studio or on location, White captures landscapes and iconic architecture of Kern County. An avid traveler, she has also painted scenes in Venezuela, Mexico, France, Italy, Kosovo and Ireland.
The award-winning art educator continues to teach at the Levan Institute for Lifelong Learning and offer classes at the BAA Art Center.
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.
Enjoy free admission to the Bakersfield Museum of Art (1930 R St.), which just opens its fall exhibitions.
The five collections highlight Asian-American artists: Japanese-American painter Bryan Ida ("Bryan Ida:Life of Change, A Retrospective"), Korean painter Jun Yang ("Jun Yang: Blooming Journeys"), Taiwanese mixed-media artist Kacy Jung and Vietnamese-American sculptor Kieu Tran ("Kacy Jung & Kieu Tran: Personal Archaeology") and Japanese-American artist Chiura Obata ("Chiura Obata: Select Works").
The museum has extended hours from 10 a.m to 8 p.m. Visit bmoa.org for more information.
The Brickyard Downtown (1020 18th St.) will host vendors, musical acts, a collection of food trucks and a pumpkin patch.
Local grower Kern Pumpkins will host a downtown pumpkin patch at the venue.
Trucks will sell food from 6 to 9 p.m. 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) and Mariscos El Coral (Nayarit-style seafood).
Visit @brickyarddowntown on Instagram for more information.
Grab a local craft beer nearby at 2nd Phase Brewing (1004 19th St.), which will host the Oh, Boy! Po'boy food truck. Soni Solo from the band Dancing Tommy will perform from 7 to 9 p.m.
Tribe Devine will bring the reggae and funk to Off the Rails (1517 18th St.) 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.
Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.
