First Fridays in Downtown Aurora Gets Festive Dec. 4

Downtown businesses are opening their doors and celebrating the holiday season with art, music and dancing the first Friday in December. Decorated windows and a bright, shining star atop the Leland Tower add to the festive evening.

First Fridays, a night of art, music and culture in downtown Aurora, on Dec. 4 features holiday cheer with a heart of gold. From an auction of artwork made out of paper bags at If These Walls Could Talk to a collection of gifts for Mutual Ground at Michael Edward Smith Photography, the spirit of giving is alive in downtown.

Blue Bird Beat Cafe joins the First Fridays lineup this month, and The ArtBar prepares for the end of the world. Grab some stocking stuffers at The Yetee and Friends Holiday Bazaar.

Pick up a free First Fridays passport at any venue for a full map of participating venues. Return the punched passport at the last business visited for a chance to win a First Fridays goody bag.

In December, the following venues are open.

Santori Public Library, 101 S. River St., opens its annual holiday exhibit, "Holiday Celebrations in Many Lands," a multicultural display of Christmas trees from 6 to 9 p.m.

Aurora Regional Fire Museum, 53 N. Broadway, is all decked out for Christmas with its hidden firemouse family. "Teamwork Brotherhood" continues on the second floor. The show highlights nearly two dozen retired Aurora firefighters from 6 to 9 p.m.

Yetee Gallery, 110 Cross St., opens for The Yetee and Friends Holiday Bazaar, a show with Yetee employees and friends selling stuff for the holidays from 7 to 11 p.m.

Allen and Pepa Architects, 121 W. Benton St., features library sculpture artist Jim Jenkins and his "Graphplotfictions," messages, meditations, and mysteries from the Deux Ex Machina sculpture at Aurora's Santori Library from 5 to 9 p.m.

Paramount Theatre's Grand Gallery, 23 E. Galena Blvd., opens "Essential Elements," an exhibit of landscape and seascape oil paintings by renowned artists William Worcester and Eric Nils Forsberg from 7 to 9 p.m. The show will hang through Jan. 31, 2016.

David L. Pierce Art and History Center, 20 E. Downer Pl., offers three floors of exhibits. Aurora Public Art Commission opens the annual "Winter Garden of Youth" on the third floor from 5 to 7 p.m. Aurora Historical Society presents "Bundled Up," an exhibit of historic winter clothing on the first floor, and "Aurora Story" on the second floor. Museum Store is open with 2016 calendars from 6 to 9 p.m.

Emergent at Metropolitan Co-Working, a pop-up gallery at 14 W. Downer Place, Suite 16, shows the works of resident artist Kit Sunderland from 6 to 10 p.m.

HealthMarkets, 40 W. Downer Place, is open with oil paintings by artist Tom Mahady from 5 to 8 p.m.

Michael Edward Smith Photography, 61 S. Stolp Ave., offers special holiday photo mini sessions at their festive party from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Bring new, unwrapped toys, books, clothes and personal items for Mutual Ground and receive a free photo. Call (630) 689-7871 for reservations.

If These Walls Could Talk, 32 S. Stolp Ave., celebrates a night of giving with its annual "Pack the Pantry" auction for the Aurora Area Interfaith Food Pantry from 7 to 11 p.m.

AKA Dance, 14 W. Downer Place, Suite 10, provides a free jazz and hip-hop class from 6:30 to 7 p.m., followed by a Christmas story and goodies.

Culture Stock, 43 E. Galena Blvd., hosts open mic on First Fridays from 6 to 9 p.m.

The ArtBar at Two Brothers Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway, features the "End of Days Show," a pop-up art show with artwork inspired by the apocalypse, 6 p.m. to midnight.

River's Edge Cafe, 14 W. Downer Place, is open until 10 p.m. with food, art, and music.

SciTech Hands On Museum, 18 W. Benton St., is open with free admission, plus the opening of the anticipated new space exhibit WOW on the lower level. 6 o 8 p.m.

Aurora Fastprint, 54 E. Galena Blvd., hosts its annual Wagon Wheel party with photographs by Sabrina Kifowit, a senior at Oswego High School. 6 to 10 p.m.

Blue Bird Beat Cafe, 9 S. Stolp Ave., is open and hosts a few artists in the Leland Tower's restored lobby from 6 to 9 p.m.

Free trolley service runs throughout downtown from 7 to 10 p.m.

All events are free and art is for sale. For more information, a list of First Fridays specials at participating businesses, and for a map of venues, visit www.auroradowntown.com.