First Friday prepares to get up on its soapboxes for a Cochlear Celebration

FIRST FRIDAY

The First Friday monthly art festival returns from 6 to 11 p.m. Friday throughout the downtown 18b Arts District.

Organizers are billing the June event as a Cochlear Celebration to feature soapbox risers spread throughout the streets, topped with soloists and local musicians performing acoustic music sets.

Activities in the Kids Zone at Casino Center Boulevard and Colorado Avenue are set to include an exotic animal petting zoo by Roos-N-More, healthy eating tips and demonstrations from Baby I Like It Raw and sounds from DJ Babychino. A dance competition and performance by Children of the World is scheduled from 6:15 to 7 p.m.

DJ Mongo plans to present a mix of music based on the format of his KUNV radio program "The Lyons Den Radio Show" on the Lyon's Den Stage on Casino Center just south of Colorado Avenue.

The Save The Huntridge movement plans to feature performances by local bands interspersed with patrons sharing Huntridge Theater memories on the Golden Nugget Stage on Third Street in front of Theatre7. A tent next to the stage is slated to display Huntridge Theater memorabilia.

First Friday is slated to transform the alley behind Downtown Cocktail Room, The Griffin, Beauty Bar and Le Thai on Fremont Street between Sixth Street and Las Vegas Boulevard South into an arts hallway to include live murals, street art, music and performance arts demonstrations.

Many galleries also plan open houses from 5 to 10 p.m. Thursdays for collectors hoping to skip the crowds.

Galleries planning open houses for First Friday include:

The Brett Wesley Gallery, 1112 S. Casino Center Blvd., is slated to continue Danny Roberts' "Our Digital Selves," featuring paintings that depict the impact of the Internet through June 30.

The Trifecta Gallery inside The Arts Factory, 107 E. Charleston Blvd., plans to show works from Thomas Lee Bakofsky's "Yes No Maybe" exhibit.

The Contemporary Arts Center inside The Arts Factory plans to continue showcasing Michigan artist Mark Rumsey's "Noctilucent" through June 16.

The Jenny Valdez Inc. Gallery inside The Arts Factory plans to present works from various artists. The gallery has issued a call to artists to create works in the theme "Under The Sea" for the September First Friday. Submissions are due Sept. 1. For details, visit jennyvaldez.com.

Nora Martin Hall's "Tattooed Girls Are Easy" is set to be on display at the 303 North Studio inside The Arts Factory.

The City of the World Gallery, 1229 S. Casino Center Blvd., plans to show works from Beth Casper in its main gallery.

Stephen Hendee's "The Pinpoint Remains" is scheduled to be on display through July 27 at the Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway.

The Funk House, 1228 S. Casino Center Blvd., is slated to show "Strange Imaginings" by Amber Gardner.

"Cerebral Paralysis," with works from Heather Hermann, is expected to be on display at Sin City Gallery, 107 E. Charleston Blvd.

For more information, visit firstfriday lasvegas.com.