Summer festival will showcase art, ice cream

Music, art and ice cream will take the stage in Hillsborough’s Last Fridays celebration Friday.

The warm-weather festival that showcases artists and musicians is in its 14th season.

Jacob Cooley, a landscape painter who will participate in the festival, said the event is always a cultural celebration.

“It’s a big community of people who are interested in culture, art and music,” he said.

Last Fridays celebrations always occur at the end of the month and run from April until September. All events are free.

Sarah DeGennaro, a spokeswoman for the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough said people travel from Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Cary and Mebane for Last Fridays.

DeGennaro said she wasn’t sure exactly how many attended, but numbers are usually in the hundreds.

“We really run the gamut from young families, older couples, college students and retired folks,” she said.

Gracelee Lawrence, a sculptor whose work will be on the Art Walk, said Last Fridays give people living outside of the greater Triangle area the opportunity to get out, socialize and soak up local culture.

She said that Last Fridays offer a cultural atmosphere closer to home for Hillsborough residents.

“There are people who may not be inclined to go to downtown Raleigh, but they still want those kinds of experiences,” Lawrence said.

The biggest part of Last Fridays is the Art Walk, a self-guided tour of Hillsborough artists and their work in studios and galleries around town.

But the festival caters to kids too. At the event, children will be able to make turtle puppets and enjoy a screening of “The Muppets” at 8:30 p.m., at the Burwell School Historic Site.

This Friday, Appalachian soul band Johnson’s Crossroad will be the main act on the Old Courthouse lawn.

Other musical acts include indie rockers The Blue Suits, who will perform on the Tryon Street Stage at Historic Hillsborough Presbyterian Church.

The festival this month will also have an ice cream-making contest as part of its regular themed bake-offs.

Contestants will bring their creations to Cup-A-Joe at 120 W. King St. by 5 p.m. Judging will begin at 6 p.m.

The winner will have samples of their ice cream sold at Cup-A-Joe, with proceeds benefitting the Hillsborough Arts Council.

Cooley said the most important part of the festival is the attention it brings to local artists.

“It’s exposure,” Cooley said. “So many people come to it and see the work and go from gallery to gallery.”

He said that the Last Fridays events are changing the way people view the town.

“Hillsborough used to be a much sleepier community,” he said.

“It is positive and growing and keeping its cultural integrity and adding to it with these events.”

Contact the City Editor at city@dailytarheel.com.