July Events

FirstEvents - Olde Towne Portsmouth

Held the first friday through sunday of each month, Olde Towne Portsmouth's business community opens it's doors along High Street between Effingham Street and the riverfront. Events and activities include Arts to Antiques Flea Market, free museum admission, exhibit openings and art afternoons, and a lot more.

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First Friday in Olde Towne · 5 - 8 p.m.
12 Historic Squares of High Street

First Friday is a stage for local merchants & restaurants in Portsmouth's Historic Olde Towne and one of the city's most popular evening escapes. Held the first Friday of each month, Olde Towne Portsmouth's thriving arts & antiques community opens it's doors along the 12 historic squares of High Street located between Effingham Street and the riverfront where crowds of casual browsers as well as serious buyers come to each festive event to visit our fine art galleries, quality antique shops and unique specialty stores, some host receptions and art exhibition openings.

First Friday is held each month, rain or shine, year round. There is no admission fee for First Friday - participating galleries are open to the public.

Sponsored by the Olde Towne Business Association | 757-405-3500

3Opening Reception:
FREEDOM: Evolution of the Motorcycle

5-8 p.m. From generation to generation, motorcycling has always drawn riders for sport and accessible, inexpensive transportation who were also seeking a sense of adventure and freedom on the road. More than forty motorcycles - choppers, bobbers, hogs, rice-rockets, trumpets, baggers, beemers, and dressers - from the early to late twentieth century will be on display. The exhibit explores transformations through designs by American, European and Asian companies and the explosion in riding popularity during the twentieth century.

Free your spirits to the sounds of music and motorcycles, as bikers make their way to the museum historic courtyard while The Blue Lords southern rock band performs live in the Courtyard. This musical act has appeared with top-notch celebrities including ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, 38 Special, the Doobie Brothers, and the Charlie Daniels Band, among many others. Like a blast from the past, Norfolk-based Blue Lord’s band-members will take the audience back to traditional rock-n-roll entertainment.

The smell of pizza from Amore’s Casual Italian restaurant on High Street, and hot dogs/hamburgers, will fill the air as food, and beverages are sold in the parking lot.

Try your hand at airbrush painting in a hands-on airbrush demonstration by commercial artist, Bill Tippit. Those who want to experience this unique form of painting will be introduced to beginner airbrush techniques using several end-nozzles to produce different effects (lines, spots and fogs) combined with stencils to create scenes of sunsets, flaming dice and more The airbrush demonstrations will be in the courtyard near the Museum Shop, where unique merchandise and works by local artists are for sale.

Leather and sunglass vendors will be in the courtyard and lot adjacent to the museum.

Presented by the Courthouse Galleries, Corner of High and Court St., Portsmouth
757-393-8543 | www.courthousegalleries.com

3Live Music & Fireworks

Bill Deal & Water St.
6-7:45 p.m. "Tidewater Drive" on the Water Stage
8-9:45 p.m. "Blackbird Pond" on the Main Stage
9:30 p.m. Fireworks

3Motorcycle Parade leading to Blackbird Pond in concert

At 7:45 p.m. motorcyclists will form a parade of bikes leading the party from the Courthouse Galleries to Bill Deal Street for a live performance by Blackbird Pond, "a 'preppy' bunch of rump-shacking, solid stomp, alternative-country-rockers from the southern part of Virginia who maybe the only band that can hold a Gibson SG guitar and perform an original accapella, while our drummer stands on his stool to attack his drums like a MAD cougar. Then… comes a salty, sultry-sophisticated vocal, but when revved-up, comes a raspy powered engine goddess sent voice." The party will continue with food and beverage sales. Fireworks at 9:30 p.m.

To participate in the parade please call Nancy Perry at 757-393-8983

4First Saturday

The Olde Towne Antiques to Flea Market

Conveniently located in the Middle Street Garage at the corner of Middle & London streets and is held year round, rain or shine on the first Saturday of each month. Gates open at 10 a.m. and close at 2 p.m. Always Free Admission & Free Parking!

Sponsored by the Olde Towne Business Association | 757-405-3500

4Olde Towne Portsmouth Farmer's Market

9:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Open on the first Saturday of the month through November 7. Located in the first block of Middle Street, between High and Queen Streets, adjacent to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum. Items for sale will include fresh seasonal produce, flowers, plants, canned goods, jams, breads, honey and more.

To become a vendor (there are no fees or costs to participate) please contact Andrea Graham at 757-537-9482 or 757-397-2616 or via email at agrahamm11@cox.net

4Second Annual Patriot’s Day!

From 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, step back in time! Enjoy craft demonstrations, musical performances, games, military drill, food and fun! As part of the Portsmouth Museums’ First Weekend Series, activities will be free and open to the public. Presented by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum, corner of High and Water Streets | 757-393-8591 www.portsnavalmuseums.com

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Motorcycle Swap-Meet

Swap Meet and Vendors including leathers and sunglasses will display their goods in the lot adjacent to the Museum. From 12:00-3:00 p.m. tattoo artist will demonstrate their works by creating a collaborative canvas, to be raffled off. Participants can “race to the finish” by changing tires in the Pit-Stop Challenge, a simulated drag-race pit crew experience, for ages 8 and up. This event is free and open to the public.

Presented by the Courthouse Galleries, Corner of High and Court St., Portsmouth
757-393-8543 | www.courthousegalleries.com

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Live Music & Independance Day Fireworks

Bill Deal & Water St. Food and beverage sales open @ 3:30 p.m.
4-5:30 p.m. Annie Johnson Band (main stage)
5:30-7:30p.m. Strictly Bizzness Band (water stage)
8-9:30 p.m. Midnight Movers (main stage)
9:30 p.m. Fireworks

5First Sunday Breakfast, Brunch, or Lunch

Participating Restaurants: A Taste of Culture, Brutti's, The Coffee Shoppe, The Deck, Flagship, Foggy Point Bar & Grill, Gosport Tavern, Logan Raye's Key West Grille, Longboards, Olde Towne Bakery & Cafe, Paddy O'Brian's, Starbucks, Starboards, Stove

5An Afternoon with Colonel Crawford

1:00 - 4:00 pm: Enjoy an afternoon with Colonel Crawford, the founding father of Portsmouth! Hear his tales of Portsmouth’s history, spanning over 250 years, and of Portsmouth’s key roles during the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and beyond!

Activities on July 5th are included with paid admission to the museum.

5Make-n-Take Art Activity with Artist Bill Tippit

Try your hand at airbrush painting in a hands-on airbrush demonstration by commercial artist, Bill Tippit. Those who want to experience this unique form of painting will be introduced to beginner airbrush techniques using several end-nozzles to produce different effects (lines, spots and fogs) combined with stencils to create scenes of sunsets, flaming dice and more The airbrush demonstrations will be in the courtyard near the Museum Shop, where unique merchandise and works by local artists are for sale.

Participants can “race to the finish” by changing tires in the Pit-Stop Challenge, a simulated drag-race pit crew experience, for ages 8 and up. This event is free and open to the public, Free admission to exhibit “Freedom: Evolution of the Motorcycle.”

Presented by the Courthouse Galleries, Corner of High and Court St., Portsmouth
757-393-8543 | www.courthousegalleries.com

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