August auspicious for First Friday

Aug. 2—As the summer heat feels just slightly less oppressive, it's a good time to enjoy an evening outing. Just in time for this slight weather break is First Friday, when local artists, businesses and organizations do their best to draw visitors downtown.

New this month is Vend-N-Vibe, heading to BottleShock Wine & Brew (1002 19th St., Suite C).

The first-ever event, put on by Miche Events, will kick off with 15 vendors. A final list was not available as of press time but Howie Castanon of Howie's Micheladas, which is helping organize the event, said there will be jewelry, boutiques, crafts, vintage items and more.

Guests to the 21-and-over event can also expect adult beverages including michelada vendors and offerings from BottleShock, which is currently serving a Barbie-worthy prickly pear pink margarita.

The Tacos Chewi food truck will be parked outside the space selling tacos, quesabirria, birria ramen, quesadillas, burritos, tortas, asada fries and more.

Nokturnal Entertainment will provide a DJ to keep the music flowing.

Castanon said the goal is to continue to pop up each First Friday, adding vendors and food trucks as space and permits allow.

Check it out from 7:30 to 11 p.m.

Next door, enjoy a local craft beer at 2nd Phase Brewing (1004 19th St.), which will offer live music from Jon Ranger at 7 p.m. and host the Oh, Boy! Po'boy food truck.

The Brickyard Downtown (1020 18th St.) continues its mission of keeping downtown visitors fed and entertained.

Located in the former Frameworks on 18th Street, the venue has space inside for vendors and food trucks will be parked outside from 5 to 10 p.m.

Trucks featured in the current lineup include Mondough's Smashburger and Sweet Edna's Southern BBQ.

Visit @brickyarddowntown on Instagram for more information.

Enjoy live music from Hot Mess Express along with a beer from Off the Rails (1517 18th St.), which will also host Bucky's Hot Chicken from 5 to 9 p.m.

The Bakersfield Museum of Art (1930 R St.) is offering free admission on First Friday, offering guests a chance to enjoy all the wonderful art currently on display.

In a one-night-only event, the Summer Art Camp Showcase will feature works from children and students up to age 17 who took part in camps offered this summer.

From 5 to 6:30 p.m., enjoy family-friendly art projects and refreshments.

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

The Visual Arts Festival "Saturation" highlights the work of more than 30 artists who utilized paper, textiles, photography and three-dimensional objects to explore the show's theme of saturation through repetition and color choice.

"Nostalgia: Selections from the Students in the BMoA ArtWorks Program" includes art from the 15 local high school juniors and seniors who took part in the recent youth art program.

And don't miss "Rotem Reshef: Vista," the large-scale installation of scrolls and stretched canvases painted using imprints of native flowers, trees and shrubs.

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

More art can be enjoyed at the Bakersfield Art Association Art Center (1607 19th St.), which is featuring the work of Susan McQuerrey through August. There will be an artist's reception on First Friday, August 4 from 5 to 8 pm.

The California native spent her early years in Sacramento but now calls Bakersfield home.

Prior to earning her master's in art at Cal State Bakersfield, she earned a bachelor's in modern languages from the University of the Pacific and attended Madrid University in Spain. The time abroad included studying at the Prado Museum, which sparked her interest in art, according to the BAA newsletter.

She taught at the elementary school level in Lodi and Shafter before becoming a professor at Bakersfield College for 27 years.

Retirement has allowed her to explore watercolor painting. Her work, embracing a multitude of approaches, is notable for her use of vibrant colors to portray a variety of subjects.

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 also offer a show highlighting work from Mark Engelien.

The retired architect and former director of the Bakersfield Museum of Art, studied drawing, watercolor and ceramics while attending Cal Poly SLO.

He turned to ink sketches to create memories of places he and his family visited in their travels. In 2018, he started adding both digital rendering and watercolor to augment his sketches.

Also choosing subjects such as wildlife and nature as well as portraits, the artist selected works for this show that include giclée prints of commissions, gifts and some of his favorites and new pieces that have not been previously shown.

The ArtWalk, which is organized by the Arts Council of Kern, is on a temporary hiatus. Visit @kernarts on Facebook for updates on when the downtown arts and vendor set-up will return to 19th and Eye streets.

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