First Friday Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, announced that the January 3rd First Friday’s theme is “Roar in the ‘20’s.” Start the new year off right by enjoying the first First Friday of 2020. Flash back to flappers, long gloves & fancy hats, speakeasy and jazz moods. The featured artist for this event is local painter Christopher Walkenhorst, is a painter and illustrator who creates fine and commercial art. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Quite a bit of his fine art is interesting figurative work.
Check the website for complete list of live performances (starting 5:00 p.m. through 11:00 p.m.). You may want to visit the “ASK ME” tent to gain information about family interactive games, and interactive community art projects. Plus, an interactive photo booth and contest where attendees have an opportunity to win $50. Find out more by visiting the ASK ME tent. Fire pits are placed in key locations and a heated bar to help keep you warm. The main stage is located at the south end of Art Way parking lot. Majority of artists/vendors are placed on Boulder Avenue with crafts nestled in the Arts Factory courtyard. Food trucks are in the Art Square parking lot. Parking is provided at City of Las Vegas parking garage at 500 South Main Street – $5 with free shuttle provided by Downtown Loop. Also Sin City Pedicab rides are available. Visit Park Whiz for alternate parking options during the event. Alternative to driving to the event: Sin City Cycle Cab drop off and pick up at 1st Street and Hoover Avenues. Rides from downtown Las Vegas to First Friday and back all night, including from City Hall parking garage. Downtown Loop also provides transportation throughout downtown and to First Friday during the event.
The First Friday Foundation will post updates and special offers on scheduled First Friday events and other programming through its social media channels – on Facebook at facebook.com/firstfridaylasvegas and Twitter @FirstFridayLV. The website, www.ffflv.org, is active and applications for artists and vendors are currently being accepted for next month’s event. ArtWalk highlights work by primarily local artists. Check out the artists booths in the event and be sure to stop in the many galleries in the arts district – Arts Factory, Art Square, and others located along Main Street.
There is plenty of food and drink options throughout the event. Explore the many options for your taste buds as the First Friday culinary experience is back in full force with delicious options from the many food trucks, artisan food vendors, and restaurants throughout the entire arts district.
First Friday Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and advancing local arts and culture in Las Vegas. They believe in collaborating with other organizations to help raise awareness in the arts and linking these partnerships to benefit local artists and community members and has been a mainstay of arts and culture in Las Vegas for more than 15 years. age.
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Just a quick little reminder for you seeking special transportation for New Years Eve. The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) is again offering free rides on all its transit routes on New Year’s Eve, enabling anyone attending holiday festivities to do so without having to drive. From 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve until 9 a.m. on New Year’s Day, transit riders can board any vehicle on the RTC’s 39 fixed routes without purchasing a pass or presenting fare.
The free rides include express transit services between RTC operated park and ride facilities and partner lots located across the valley. Those celebrating New Year’s Eve can take advantage of the facilities, where it is free to park, to avoid the holiday traffic. Transit service to both the Las Vegas Strip and downtown Las Vegas is offered at the following RTC operated park & ride facilities: South Strip Transit Terminal (6675 S. Gilespie St.) via the Strip and Downtown Express (SDX) and Maryland Parkway Route 109; Northwest Centennial Hills Transit Center and Park & Ride (7313 Grand Montecito Pkwy.) via the Centennial Express (CX), and West is at Westcliff Transit Center and Park & Ride (25 S. Durango Dr.) via the Westcliff Airport Express (WAX)
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department reminds everyone celebrating New Year’s Eve that strollers, backpacks and glass bottles are not allowed on the Las Vegas Strip and that all bags must be 12” x 6” x 12” or smaller. Read more online about the prohibited items on New Year’s Eve. For up-to-the-minute information regarding delays and accidents along I-15, 215, and US-95, sign up for alerts via text or email at rtcsnv.com or follow the @RTCSNV Twitter account.
For the first time, Rail Explorers, the all-ages, outdoor-adventure attraction featuring pedal-powered rail bikes, offers a family-friendly, fun and unique New Year’s Eve with a ride under the stars. The experience makes an exhilarating activity for families with children, a date night, or anyone seeking to establish a new New Year’s Eve tradition. Guests will begin the evening with hot apple cider and snacks on the platform, then ride the rails under the stars. Nevada State Railroad Museum’s historic train will then take guests back to the train station and watch the ball drop from New York City’s Times Square with fireside s’mores. Book online today at www.railexplorers.net. It gets underway at 7:00 p.m. and the cost is: a tandem rail bike for two starts at $85, and a quad rail bike for four guests starts at $150.
Located in historic Boulder City, Nevada—just minutes from the Las Vegas Strip en route to Hoover Dam—Rail Explorers offers exhilarating, guided excursions in two- or four-seat rail bikes along the same tracks used during construction of the dam.
Rail Explorers Las Vegas tours include three memorable options, including the Southwest Ramble, a four-mile downhill pedal-powered daytime ride; the Sunset Tour, a picturesque downhill ride in the evening as the sun sets behind the River Mountains; and the Evening Lantern Ride, a one-of-a-kind experience illuminated by the glow from the moon and stars. All rides start at the Nevada State Railroad Museum and continue downhill to Railroad Pass. Each tour also includes a nostalgic ride back to the top of the hill in one of the museum’s historic trains, along with free museum entry. Knowledgeable guides lead every Rail Explorers tour, ensuring guests enjoy not only the majestic desert scenery, but also learn fascinating insights along the way. Rail bikes provide a truly distinctive way to explore this extraordinarily scenic and historic area.
Boyd Gaming has awarded a prize pool of $45,000 to 35 southern Nevada charities that participated in the Company’s fifth annual ‘Trees of Hope’ tree-decorating competition at a celebratory check presentation ceremony held at the Suncoast Showroom. Non-profit organizations that decorated trees at Boyd operated casinos received prizes based on nearly 180,000 customer votes cast from Nov. 26 through Dec. 15.
This holiday season, Boyd Gaming awarded a first-place prize of $2,000, second place prize of $1,500 and third place prize of $1,000 at each participating property based on customer votes. Honorary mentioned charities also received a $500 cash prize. More than 14,000 additional votes were cast in a separate Trees of Hope social media contest online. The social media contest awarded a prize pool of $5,000 to the top three performing charities citywide with a $2,500 first place prize, $1,500 second place prize and $1,000 third place prize. To celebrate Trees of Hope’s fifth anniversary in southern Nevada, Boyd Gaming awarded an additional surprise cash prize of $1,500 to a local charity that was chosen at random during the check presentation ceremony. The charity that won the surprise cash prize was Habitat for Humanity.
AREA15, the world’s first purpose-built, experiential art, retail and entertainment complex opening in Las Vegas in 2020, announces its partnership with Todd English, one of the most decorated and respected chefs in the world. The culinary-concept will offer a customized menu created by English exclusively for AREA15’s food hall (the official name to be announced in early 2020). Offering an immersive, multi-dimensional journey, guests will dine casually among large-scale art installations, music, performance and other activations.
“This partnership with AREA15 enables me to create a new, theatrical dining experience that will embody the esthetic of the entire complex,” said English. “It’s energizing to be part of a project defined by creativity and a sense of the unexpected.”
“Today’s consumer seeks more narrative-driven, over-the-top, imaginative experiences than ever before and it doesn’t stop when it comes to food and beverage,” says Winston Fisher, chief executive officer, AREA15. “We are passionate about building the best-in-class experiences at AREA15, from our tenant experiences to artist partnership. We look forward to Todd English’s ultimate food hall experience, which will undoubtedly be the first truly transformational dining concept of its kind.”
English’s culinary concept joins AREA15’s growing collection of food and beverage experiences including the sweets shop Emack & Bolios; cocktail and coffee bar Oddwood; nostalgic hotspot Rocketfizz and the new corporate culinary partner, Hakkasan Group. AREA15 will be the first West Coast location for the “hippy ice-cream store” Emack & Bolios, serving up ice cream, yogurt, homemade fudge and chocolate, micro-brewed sodas and more. Rocket Fizz Soda Pop & Candy Shop is known for exceptionally unique and out-of-the-ordinary soda and candy flavors—all imbued with a sizeable dose of nostalgia. Oddwood promises to be the visually and artistically stimulating bar in The SPINE, serving a wide variety of premium beers and approachable cocktail beverages along with a full coffee bar by Las Vegas-based Vesta Coffee Roasters. Finally, AREA15 recently announced a corporate hospitality partnership with one of the world’s leading hospitality companies – Hakkasan Group, which will be AREA15’s preferred caterer for meetings, private parties and corporate events taking place in the one-of-kind venue. Additionally, Hakkasan Group will use AREA15 as the exclusive location for any events outside of the company’s Las Vegas venues.
Well, gang, this is the final column for 2019, and I hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have in writing them. Just do me a favor, do not drive while drinking. Play it safe. Happy New Year.