First Friday has become a well attended tradition in the Burg. Local residents pour out to enjoy stogies at Central Cigars, craft cocktails from Cask and Ale and Manadarin Hide, get their local haunt fix at Mastry's and enjoy a second-hand concert outside the gates of Jannus. It's such a fixture that Eckerd College provides bus service for students to take them to and from the event.
The 200 block of Central Avenue between 2nd and 3rd streets is blocked off the first Friday of every month. The strip of road is loaded with a stage, vendors and more. New openings on the block, including the popular tapas bar PATANEGRA, have added a new dimension to First Friday. With inspired ideas and resolve from ThinkTank Marketing, the event has blossomed into something new.
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PATANEGRA hosts live music on a regular basis with performances by Julian Camaz, Victor Moreno, Naisys Mendez and Lemay James. Their sangria and old fashioned specials, along with an expansive vegan and gluten free menu and killer 'quatro leches' dessert have already made them a perennial stopping point for anyone downtown.
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More than just a source of monthly entertainment, First Friday is a party with a purpose. The event is organized by the Breakfast Optimist Club of St. Pete (BOC). The group donates the net proceeds from the event to charitable efforts, with a heavy focus on education and children's health. In case you can't make it out to the event the first Friday of the month, the organization has set up a digital donation box for your convenience.
The money given to the BOC allows them to put together events that teach children about public speaking, critical thinking, internet safety/security and engage them in creative problem solving. The group provides support, bothi financial and emotional, to children with cancer and their families. BOC provides college scholarship opportunities for the deaf in a contest designed to help develop their skills and confidence in a large, public setting.
*Photo via First Friday St. Pete
Other scholarship opportunities include a public speaking contest and an essay contest with rotating themse. Your donations make these unique opportunities possible. Encouraging academic rigor at a young and presenting an ever-developing mind with the early inevitability of higher education is the kind of inspiration that cannot be understated.
The BOC doesn't stop with widespread programs. They also engage intimately with the community. They provide citizen of the month awards for local schools to distribute, host a 'say no to drugs' poster contest, a Fish-A-Thon with a special bike up for grabs and the 'pack a sack' initiative that provides food for hungry school children on weekends.
First Friday returns this week, May 1, beginning at 5:30pm. The Hunks of Funk will perform live on the ThinkTank stage.
St. Pete Threads helps you wear local
Local swag is on the rise, thanks in part to the creative minds at ThinkTank Marketing. St. Pete Threads is an organization that has partnered with several local artists to produce St. Pete inspired t-shirts. Their latest run includes:
NOMAD Art Bus shirt designed by Carrie Boucher. Follow this link to purchase.
Shuffleboard design by Creative Loafing. Follow this link to purchase.
Their new St. Pete Yogi design. Follow this link to purchase.
Finally, the Movies In The Park tee designed by St. Pete Preservation. Follow this link to purchase.
Half of all profits from the sale of these shirts is distributed back to the organizations that help keep St. Pete weird, creative and fun. The Board of Advisors, made up of local artists and business owners, helps decide how to best distribute profits, create partnerships with St. Pete companies and find new opportunities to help support the city. Members of the board will rotate so the voices and concepts behind the local mission remain fresh and invigorated. Visit St. Pete Threads online to see their latest stock of tees dedicated to the Burg.
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