BANGOR, Maine — The First Friday series kicked off in Downtown Bangor Friday. First Friday events are held in many cities across the United States, and provide an opportunity for artists and arts organizations, businesses, and community members to gather and support their communities.
The series, sponsored by the Downtown Bangor Partnership, will continue on the first Friday of every month. First Friday featured a performance from Robinson Ballet, along with art openings, artist talks, restaurant specials, and kid friendly activities.
Solstice Nutrition, located at 73 Main Street, opened its doors for the first time Friday morning. It offers a lengthy list of protein shakes and "mega teas." Owner Amy Carson is featuring artwork in her shop created by people at Living Innovations, a healthcare facility that supports people with disabilities.
"When you think of artwork, you think of well-known artists, and things like that," Carson said. "But we wanted to be able to get to everyday people... the people that you don't think of, that are super talented, and to showcase that," said Alyssa Frasier, daughter of Carson and Solstice Nutrition employee.
Next month, Solstice Nutrition plans to kick off a week-long project to decorate one of the walls in its shop. The idea is to create a "kindness wall" where community members can draw or write a story about a time they were shown kindness.
"If anyone has a memory of someone being kind... or just that feeling of kindness - they can come, regardless of age or talent level," Frasier said. "There's a blank canvas right there for them to be able to get that out."
The week-long "kindness wall" project starts on next month's First Friday on August 6th.
A full list of all restaurants and businesses participating along with the deals they offer, can be found here.