By Tameka Kenan-Norman, City of Rocky Mount NC
First Friday returns Friday, November 3, 2017, 6-9pm. This year, the First Friday event includes an additional location for activities coordinated by the Twin Counties Young Professionals.
On November 3, the group will host “Family Feud.” Family members, friends, co-workers or new acquaintances are invited to the Booker T. Theater, 170 E Thomas Street, Rocky Mount NC, to participate as “Family Feud” team members, with the winning team taking home a wonderful prize pack.
The Twin Counties Young Professionals are expected to host a different activity monthly at the Booker T. Theater during the First Friday series. The remaining First Friday events will take place in the Imperial Centre for the Arts and Sciences monthly through May, excluding January, and will feature live music, kids’ activities and a No Shame open mic night.
The initial First Friday event in this year’s series will include Liverpool, the Beatles cover band, 40 pottery vendors in the main lobby, as well as a food truck outside of the Imperial Centre. Live music in the art center and the museum, bounce houses, a carriage ride, crafts, an athletics booth and a wildlife rehabilitation area will also be available at First Friday on Nov. 3. Artist vendors will include Mark Gordan, Dan Finch and students of Dan Finch.
“First Friday is such an exciting event for our community,” says Sheila Long, recreation services supervisor for the city of Rocky Mount. “The event provides an opportunity for visitors to see all the Imperial Centre has to offer, from the arts center and children’s museum, to our planetarium, arts education building, animal gallery and more.”
First Friday attendees may also browse the Imperial Centre’s latest exhibit, “Oceanbound.” The exhibit encourages visitors to act as scientists on a journey through watersheds to see how everyone’s actions on land affect the oceans. The exhibit includes multiple hands-on stations where guests can make it rain in a 3-D watershed model, guide “water” safely through a hazardous maze, as well as pilot a full-sized virtual “submersible” from a mountain stream all the way to the ocean.
While First Friday takes place through 9pm, residents are invited to attend the city’s 150th anniversary celebration and sealing of the city’s time capsule at 7pm. Filled with memorabilia from recent years, the time capsule will be buried and reopened in 50 years. Visitors are also encouraged to stop by the Rocky Mount Public Utilities booth and play Plinko for a chance to win $150, $100 or $50 off their utility bill. The first 150 visitors to the Rocky Mount Public Utilities booth will also receive a free giveaway to commemorate the city’s 150th anniversary. The gift will be provided only to visitors 18 or older. Only one giveaway per household is permitted.
Admission to First Friday is free. For more information, call 252.972.1266, or visit imperialcentre.org.