HAPPY 8th ANNIVERSARY FIRST FRIDAY!!!

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It was 8 years ago that I attended my very 1st First Friday. I think there may have been a couple hundred people at the event. The event was shared between the Arts Factory and the Funkhouse, with a set of orange painted footsteps painted by artist Joe Cartino connecting the two locations. Now looking back at where we were then and observing where we are today, is a pretty amazing testament to the perseverance of those who worked so hard to make this event an overwhelming success. First Friday, unlike other festivals before it, trumped all the critics and withstood the test of time and one person stands out for sticking with it for years and that is co-creator Cindy Funkhouse.

Today, 8 years later we look at the arts district and we see the dozens of new galleries, studios, shops, attractions and restaurants that have blossomed and of course the thousands that attend the monthly festival. We also look at Downtown and see the success that redevelopment has had; the transformation of the old train yards into Symphony Park, the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, lower Fremont Street into the successful Fremont East Entertainment District, the gentrification of our historic neighborhoods, high rises and all the future projects that will guarantee the future of the city's core. The future of Downtown and the arts is bright and for me, I am looking forward to see what the next 8 years will bring...

So with all this said make sure to come Downtown and enjoy an evening of Art and Culture on this wonderful anniversary...

Nevada Public Radio

For more information on the Cultural Arts in Las Vegas please visit Nevada Public Radio. NPR has detailed listings of many cultural and civic events hosted by area non-profits click on this link http://www.knpr.org/common/psa/listNEW.cfm and if you are planning an event in the next few months, be sure to get your free listing in Nevada Public Radio's Desert Companion magazine by submitting the information here at http://www.knpr.org/culture/eventaddnew.cfm

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Brian Paco Alvarez enculturating Las Vegas into the millennium...