Contributed Report

YORK-September is here and so is the First Saturday celebration for the city of York. The situation looked grim at the beginning of the week, but the lights have been restored and the event is still on tap.

The Coleman Center for Arts and Culture is currently showing “Alabama Road Series” by Paula Frances Peak. Peek’s work will be on display from Aug. 23 through Sept. 28.

Peek is an Assistant Professor at Auburn University, says her art presents a stretch of highway many in Alabama have become familiar with through they years. She says many different memories went into her work.

“Documenting a specific section of Highway 280 between Waverly and Auburn, the Alabama Road Series focuses on memory, both collective and individual,” Peek said. “The series presents common roadside visages that could be assigned to many rural thoroughfares, similar through specific yet common visual experiences.”

Another special event will accompany the upcoming walking tour. “Cutting the Apron Strings,” a trunk show in honor of the new school year by it’s all in the past, will feature vintage aprons, antique cast iron, time honored kitchen utensils and more. The program was featured last month and was such a success that visitors demanded another show. The items will be on display and for sale at Mary Jane Everett’s basket studio, Six Impossible Things.

Another of the favored destinations, The Bicycle Shed, will also be open Saturday. Several amazing renovations have been made to the shop building including a watering system that works through a rainwater harvest. All used water is pumped outside the building to plant beds and a hand washing station is located at the back of the building.

The structure is also equipped with a functional TV/radio antenna and a solar panel mounted to the antenna base supplies the energy for the buildings and pumps. The water pumps are portable and can be used with one of the Utility NOW! Vehicles that has been equipped for the watering of area plants and trees.

The Bicycle Shed has been possible by the generous funding and support of The Alabama Power Foundation, the City of York and the Coleman Center for Arts and Culture.

The first Saturday of every month the city provides tours of many downtown studios along with several other fun events. People come to attend the tours from all over Alabama and the Southeast. Saturday Sept. 3 will be another opportunity to join the fun.