The First Fridays Art Walk will take place Aug. 7 along Atlantic Avenue in Bixby Knolls.
An installation by Squeeze Art Collective will make its debut, and artist Zach Howard will be live painting a new mural on the north wall of the Allery. DJ Bix will spin tunes.
Nino’s Italian Restaurant is celebrating its 57th year in Bixby Knolls with deejays on the patio, live music by The Latest Craze and spaghetti for $5.70.
Boardwalk Realty will host face-painting and a raffle for a chance to win a $50 gift card to Atun restaurant.
The Kids Theatre Company will perform musical numbers from The Wizard of Oz and Mary Poppins in the north room of the Expo Art Center.
The art walk will also include a pop-up farmers market near Clover boutique, a record truck, poets and spray artists.
The story of the Port of Long Beach will come to life in Port Town: A Historical Photo Exhibit, which will begin a three-month run at the Historical Society of Long Beach, 4260 Atlantic Ave. The event will be free and open to the public.
The exhibit, continuing through Nov. 6, is a companion to a new history book, Port Town: How the People of Long Beach Built, Defended, and Profited From Their Harbor, written by veteran Long Beach maritime industry journalists George and Carmela Cunningham. The Cunninghams will be on hand Aug. 7 to discuss the book and the history of the port.
With one-of-a-kind artifacts, ship models, rare photos and video, the exhibit tells the story of the port and the men and women who built it from a marshy mud flat into one of the greenest and most modern ports in the world, according to port officials. Visitors will learn why the port isn’t in Santa Monica, how a near disaster for the city turned into a benefit for the port today, how a metal box changed the port forever, and more.
“This is our Long Beach history, one that we should all know and be proud to call our own,” said Long Beach Board of Harbor Commissioners President Doug Drummond. “I hope you will all come experience the fascinating story of our city’s greatest economic asset.”
Limited-edition hardcover copies of Port Town will be available for purchase at the exhibit for $45, with proceeds benefiting the Historical Society. E-book and paperback versions are also available online; visit porttown.polb.com for more information.
Local musical acts to perform during First Fridays will include Move, Hedgehog Swing, Laura Wiley, Los Barnabas Boys, Eusebio Akasa and Desirable D, The Funny Valentines, Joe Perez, Lee Hansen and Hot Club.
Free parking will be available at the Bixby Business Center on the corner of Atlantic Avenue and San Antonio Drive.
