NORTH ADAMS — First Friday will be hosting a Community Picnic event on Eagle Street September 2. 
 
Eagle Street will be closed to car traffic from 5:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. to provide a positive, uplifting experience for all city residents, and provide opportunities for local businesses to thrive.
 
Guests can enjoy their packed picnic or takeout order from local restaurants on the street while participating in various launches and activities.  
 
Beer and wine will be served by Desperado’s Mexican Restaurant on the sidewalk next to the Eagle Street parklet, galleries and businesses will be open late, and DJ DUBTC will be spinning tunes all night. 
 
“I’ve had a vision of all of North Adams sitting down together at one long table on Eagle Street ever since attending a similar event on the Cape several years ago,” said owner of Installation Space and FIRST Fridays organizer Anna Farrington said in the press release.  
 
“This is a popular kind of event around the world, and I’m excited to bring this style of community building experience to North Adams.” 
 
The picnic will feature an appearance by Mr. Ding-A-Ling in the Mohawk Plaza and Center Street Parking Lot adjacent to Adams Community Bank and beneath the “Poppy Girls” mural. 
 
During the picnic, The City of North Adams will launch a scavenger hunt game that will include a mixture of digital puzzles and a physical scavenger hunt throughout downtown North Adams until October 2. 
 
Participants will be given symbols to follow and solve the puzzles digitally. Those who complete the scavenger hunt puzzles will be entered into a raffle drawing for a winning prize. Information regarding the scavenger hunt will be available under the Mohawk Theater marquee. 
 
“I know many of us are craving connection opportunities and I can’t think of a more open, authentic, and equitable way to host a community picnic than on a street like Eagle Street, allowing guests to order from a variety of restaurants or to cook food themselves,” FIRST Friday organizer Andrew Fitch said in the press release.  
 
The first 100 customers are guaranteed free ice cream servings from Mr. Ding-A-Ling.
 
About FIRST Fridays: 
FIRST Fridays is a grass-roots initiative intended to get folks downtown on the first Friday of the month by asking the galleries and businesses of North Adams to stay open until 8:00 p.m.

FIRST Fridays North Adams was started in May of 2021 by Anna Farrington with the support of local businesses and the North Adams Chamber of Commerce.