First Friday Kicks Off 7th Season In Downtown Lake Havasu

By Elijah Aston

First Friday took place in Downtown Lake Havasu on Nov. 7, with hundreds of community members coming out to participate.

First Friday is starting its seventh season with the aim of bringing community members closer together.

Vendors lined the streets, selling their artwork, handcrafted goods, desserts and more.

“I’ve been doing crochet for about 50-plus years and I’ve been doing First Friday for the last five years. Come on down and see what we’re doing and enjoy all the vendors,” said First Friday vendor, Joy Whelchel.

Food trucks were also at the event, giving the public a chance to grab dinner while looking at artwork or other goods.

Local collage artist, Lauren Albrecht spoke on her artistic journey. “I create technicolor collage art made from recycled paper. I turn it into art that all of us can enjoy.”

Albrecht shows her love for Arizona in her work, focusing on nature in the southwest.

“It captures the magic, the beauty of nature in the Southwest,” she said. “I’ve been making art all my life, but I found this medium about a year ago.”

Elijah Aston/RiverScene

Other art vendors, such as Jay Robinson Freelance Photography, Art by Bailey McVicker, and E.L Hornfeathers showed their love for Lake Havasu through their pieces.

Havasu Area Public Art (HAPA) sold various artists’ pieces on small canvases, advertising their Barstool Auction on Nov. 15. They will auction off donated barstools that have been painted on at LEGENDZ Sports Bar & Grill.

First Friday occurs on every first Friday of the months from November to May, the next one will be Dec. 5.