First Friday Spotlight: Central Market
By Cliff Lewis
On May’s First Friday (tomorrow night), Central Market may well be the hottest gallery in town. For the first time, the Market will be lined with original artwork in accordance with the monthly citywide tradition, Market Master Michael Ervin told NewsLanc.
The seven displays will range from photography to furniture, and all of the work will hold a special relationship to the Market itself: “I believe that all of these artists are standholders, employees of [standholders], or friends of standholders,” Ervin said. In fact, he explained, the entire event was coordinated by a collection of stand owners eager to get the Market involved with the First Friday artwalk.
Live acoustic music will be provided by Josh Gring, the son of the Blue Bandana Stand’s owner.
A pig roast, put on by relatives of the Grass Feed Beef stand owner, will be held at the Market entrance next to the Dispensing Company restaurant, and the owners of Stoltzfus Fresh Meats will be grilling hamburgers as well.
The Market which would typically close by 4:30 on a Friday afternoon, will remain open until 8:00 p.m. to welcome all of the evening’s Downtown art-walkers. According to Ervin, Central Market has dabbled in evening events a couple of times before, but never on this scale, and never as part of the Spring First Friday festivities.
