Amado Espinoza. Image courtesy Salina Arts and Humanities
It's almost time for another First Friday, and this month's celebration is jam-packed with events!
First Friday programming starts at 3 p.m. on Friday with a ticketed matinee of “The Nutcracker” film at the Salina Art Center Cinema (150 S. Santa Fe Ave.). At 4 p.m., check out the 7th Grade Culture Crawl Capstone at the Lakewood Discovery Center (205 Lakewood Dr., and “Atomic Kansas” at the Salina Public Library’s Gallery 708 (301 W. Elm St.).
Also starting at 4 p.m., stop by “Art at the Nook” featuring artist Jon Dow with “Fur and Feathers” at The Flower Nook (208 E. Iron Ave.). Check out Andrea Fuhrman’s show “Friction” at the Salina Country Club (2101 E. Country Club Rd.).
At 4:30 p.m., the Visual Voices Gallery presents an artist reception for the work of Jim Netter at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship (901 Beatrice St.).
At 5 p.m., David Olson’s work will be on display with a reception at Peaceful Body Wellness Retreat (120 N. Santa Fe Ave.). Also, between 5 and 7 p.m., the Salina Art Center hosts an artist reception for Benjamin Todd Wills’ exhibit “Cell Drawings” and the exhibition “Grey Area” by Chris Pahls (242 S. Santa Fe Ave.).
Between 5 and 8 p.m., come see musician Ashley Wheeler perform at True Love Tattoo (117 S. Santa Fe Ave.). From 5 to 8 p.m., Smoky Hill Pottery is having its Holiday Open House, with pottery and wood crafts from eight local artists at Memorial Hall (410 W. Ash St.).
Between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., check out the SMoC News Hour, a street performance by local artists on the corner of E. Iron Avenue and Fifth Street (200 E. Iron Ave.).
Between 7 and 8:30 p.m., enjoy live music at Ad Astra Books & Coffee House (141 N. Santa Fe Ave.) for an evening with Amado Espinoza and Karen Lisondra. Espinoza is a master of African and Arabic percussion and his concerts are often received with shouts of enthusiasm and standing ovations. Both Ezpinoza and Lisondra performed on the Eric Stein Stage and Arty’s Stage at the 2019 Smoky Hill River Festival.
With the purchase of a ticket, the Salina Community Theatre’s current show “Cinderella” begins at 7:30 p.m. (303 E. Iron Ave.).
At 8 p.m., check out Eric Sommer’s performance at The Voo (249 N. Santa Fe Ave.). With the purchase of a ticket, the Stiefel Theatre show “Riders in the Sky with The Quebe Sisters” also begins at 8 p.m. (151 S. Santa Fe Ave.).