Daytona Beach 1st Friday
First Friday has become a popular economic stimulator nationwide, a concept that's embraced locally by cities that include Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach and Flagler Beach. The underlying goal is to boost business by drawing residents and tourists alike into town to enjoy some food, drink and entertainment in a festival-like environment.
Competing for a relatively small number of visitors, vendors wish the cities would try to work together. Daytona Beach has held First Friday programs for 1 1/2 years. Ormond Beach started last October and, at this point, isn't considering a switch to another week, like a Fourth Friday.
Teresa Rizzo, owner of Metropolitan Art Gallery & Frame, started First Friday with her art partner as an art exhibition in her Granada Boulevard shop, and it has grown organically, first with neighboring beachside shops. The event, which has drawn up to 100 visitors, now includes more than 15 nearby stores and restaurants.
Naomi Weiss, who oversees a nonprofit association that promotes downtown Daytona Beach, would like to see people from throughout the area filling downtown Daytona Beach tonight from 5 to 9 p.m. to take in music by several bands, a live painting performance by local artist Perego, and the showing of experimental film shorts from the Southeast Museum of Photography. "Our mission is to revitalize downtown, and encourage and support original art and music. We're trying to do something consistent that people can rely on, presenting new things each month," Weiss said. "It's our attempt to show a positive (side) of what downtown could be."
Sherry Armstrong, Realtor
yourkeytothebeach@gmail.com
(resource: NewsJournalOnline)