All about Doylestown
Submitted by jstudent on Tue, 2006-05-30 21:30.Fun comes First
From historical exhibits to music venues to nightlife, Doylestown has a vibrant downtown scene
By Joseph Simek
Philly EDGE Correspondent
Close enough to Philly to be considered a suburb, but far enough away to have escaped the strip mall redundancy of some of its neighbors, Doylestown has become one of the area’s up-and-coming spots for nightlife and local music. Starting at the cross roads of State and Main Streets in the center of the Doylestown Borough, Philly EDGE set out to find the best of what this Bucks County town has to offer.
We know in the past some people may have only thought of D-town as the place that gave us punk-hop diva Pink or the Flashing Zorro mystery. Now, this little town -- with its big city mindset -- is giving us a very cool place to spend our weekend nights.
We know in the past some people may have only thought of D-town as the place that gave us punk-hop diva Pink or the Flashing Zorro mystery. Now, this little town -- with its big city mindset -- is giving us a very cool place to spend our weekend nights.
FIRST FRIDAYS
On May 5, the crowded streets of Doylestown looked, as one passerby commented, like “State College before a football game.” However, it wasn’t sports that brought the crowd to this small Bucks County town on a beautiful Friday night. It was the music and art sprinkled among the many shops, restaurants and bars – it was First Friday Doylestown.
Started in August of last year by a handful of local merchants and residents as a way to expose area musicians and artists to the public, First Friday Doylestown has become a major monthly event. Like First Fridays in larger cities across the country, the Doylestown version features local businesses opening their doors to the public on the first Friday of every month for art showings and concerts.
“Our advertisements read ‘Your Night, Your Town’ and we mean it,” says FFD publicist Krisy Paredes. “This is an evening for everyone, the artists, musicians, merchants and community members. It is a night where we can all gather together and have a great time while opening our minds to new art and music we might not have experienced otherwise.”
Participating shops hang yellow flags outside their doors as an invitation to people walking by, but when the weather is nice, the events usually move to the sidewalk. At the last First Friday, there seemed to be a musician or artist on every street corner, all of them reveling in the exposure.
For oil painter, musician and Doylestown resident Brad Kunkle, who set up an artwork display outside Pink Ivy on State Street, First Friday is a celebration of the already blossoming art community.
“Doylestown, to me, has always existed as this small town with an unusual balance of artists and patrons,” Kunkle says. “There is a wealth of artists and musicians, and a wealth of patrons and listeners all dependent on one another. First Friday is the manifestation of this in D-town. It’s an ideal town to host the event.”
In less than a year, First Friday has gone from just an idea to a complete success, with what Paredes calls an “amazing” community response. With a growing number of businesses getting involved, expect the crowds to grow as more and more people show up every month to follow the yellow flags.
First Friday Doylestown
Friday, June 2
Downtown Doylestown
SIDEBAR:
Three local shops make the arts their business even when it’s not First Friday
Puck | 1 Printers Alley
Puck is Doylestown’s newest music venue. It promises a kick-ass sound system and both local and national acts playing Wednesday through Sunday. Located in the basement of a bank building, Puck will be a cozy space, but will still fit 100-plus music fans inside its doors. A glance at the club’s June and July calendar shows the talent being heavy on the blues and singer-songwriter side, but PR guy Stephen Parker promises a diverse music lineup in the near future. Puck’s first live show is Friday, June 2 featuring Kate Gaffney.
County Theater | 20 E. State St.
In the age of over-hyped movies and overpriced theaters, the County Theater is a godsend. This not-for-profit theater only plays two to three movies a week and most of them are “indie flicks” like Everything Is Illuminated or The Motorcycle Diaries.
In other words, you’re not going to catch Mission Impossible III here.
Eight dollars will get you a ticket, unless you’ve paid for a yearly membership, then the price drops to $4.50. Plus, with reasonable prices on concessions, that popcorn, candy and soda won’t cut into your bar hopping cash.
Siren Records | 25 W. State St.
A music fan’s trip to Doylestown would be incomplete without a visit to Siren Records, one of the best record stores in the area, if not the Northeast US. Whether you’re looking to simply browse for a few artists you heard on WXPN or you’re a hardcore vinyl collector willing to drop some serious cash on a rare find, this shop is worth the trip. The staff is - of course - a bunch of music geeks, but hey, that’s their job. Even if you’re cursed with lame music taste, these guys won’t treat you like the “middle-aged square guy” in High Fidelity.
