First Friday if fun Friday downtown

Shafter held its First Friday event on Friday, Aug. 2, in downtown Shafter, drawing a crowd for an evening of fun.

The event is a continuing series of events that the city started last year to great success.

The brainchild of Mayor Chad Givens, the latest in the series had good food, music, games for the kids and a lot of vendors displaying a variety of items.

There was jewelry, clothing and information booths, as well as organizations promoting an array of services.

The Shafter Recreation Department provided activities for the kids to do, and one of the main objectives of this month's event was to give a head start to the Shafter Lions Club Stuff the Bus event that was held on Saturday,. The bus was parked downtown, and organizers and volunteers were collecting donations of backpacks and school supplies that will go to students in the Richland School District.

The First Friday events are aimed at creating fun things to do for the entire family in Shafter. "We are providing an alternative for families to have something fun to do right here, without having to take themselves and their dollars out of town, keeping them right here in Shafter," Givens said.

There also were a number of classic cars on display at the event, as well as police vehicles and a display from Minter Field Air Museum.

There First Friday this year, on Friday Sept. 6

"I just love these First Friday events. There is something for everyone here. It is so much better to come right here in town instead of heading to Bakersfield, or someplace else," said Katie Munghan, who was there with her two daughters, Kellie and Karrie. "I wouldn't mind if they had one of these every month year round."