Find out more about the local arts scene and the artists working in it when the Galleries at First Pres opens its doors this Sunday afternoon for a public reception of its Spring Art Installment. The exhibition runs July 16 to Sept. 30. It is installed throughout the campus of the First Presbyterian Church in Vero Beach. At the reception, you’ll be able to meet some of the artists with work on view. Those artists are Lisa Cave, Richard Gillmor and Gail Jaffe. Cave grew up in Michigan where she became fascinated by nature. When she moved to Vero Beach in 2000, she became fascinated with flying and took up the training for that. Cave’s work is an expression of nature’s colors, textures, smell, sounds and movement. She works in acrylic and mixed media, and loves to experiment with her art. She is a member of the Vero Beach Art Club and had her first solo show at Gallery Veritas. Gillmor was encouraged by his father, who was an accomplished artist. Gillmor received a degree in fine art from Western Michigan University but went into the profession of sales and marketing. After retiring, he went back to his first passion, art. He sells paintings and kinetic sculptures at Art by the Sea and the Brevard Cultural Alliance. “Thirty years of living in the Florida Keys and traveling through the Caribbean has given me a huge store of visual memories, and I enjoy putting them down on canvas,” he says. Jaffe’s art expresses the pursuit of peace and healing, seen in part by her recurring imagery of angels. Her work on view in this exhibition explores angels’ presence in our world. Jaffe hopes her art can help lift hearts and encourage others to see the beauty around them. The opening reception runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, July 16, at First Presbyterian Church, 520 Royal Palm Blvd. Admission is free. Light refreshments will be served. Regular gallery viewing hours are noon to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and Sunday mornings between church services. Admission to the galleries is also free. For more information, all 772-562-9088 or visit FirstPresVero.org.
The Vero Beach Octopus Ultra race runs this weekend. The marathon race has distance choices ranging from 26.2 miles to 100 miles. They are all based at the Environmental learning Center. The concept of this race considers an octopus – a centralized base location with eight arms going out and back. The arms are called: “The Awakening,” “The Ring,” “Gates of Hell,” “Jumanji” “The Blair Beach Project,” “The Sixth Sense,” “The Swarm” and “Pyromania.” You can go online and follow links to plot your route at UltraSignUp.com (search for Vero Beach and you’ll find the right web page). Those finishing all eight Octo-Arms within 32 hours will receive the Octopus Buckle. The race begins at 6 a.m. Saturday, July 15, for all distances. Because of the dangers of heat in Florida, organizers reserve the right to pull anyone from the race at any time if they have concerns about the runner’s health. Entry fees are $35 to $200. A portion of the proceeds raised goes to the Environmental Learning Center and the Villages of Armenia addiction recovery. Spectators are welcomed. For more information, visit UltraSignUp.com, call 772-766-6510 or find Vero Beach Octopus Ultra on Facebook. If you want to register, do it right away because registration closes 11:59 p.m. Thursday, July 13.
The Walking Tree Brewery is celebrating its seventh anniversary with a Street Fair this Saturday. There will be live music, 45 vendors, six food trucks, a kids zone and brews. Admission is free. Funds raised at the event will go, in part, to the Ocean Research & Conservation Association. The music lineup includes the Joey Calderaio Band, Young Cassidy, Stick & Ditty, Billy Doom Is Dead and Propaganjah. The 7th Year Street Fair runs from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, July 15, at Walking Tree Brewery, 3209 Dodger Road, Vero Beach. For more information, visit WalkingTreeBrewery.com.
This is the final weekend for Riverside Theatre’s “Vegas Nights.” Running from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, the event includes casino games, music, full bar and grill menu, prizes and raffles. Free admission, but to play the games, you need to buy casino money, packages for which start at $20. The venue also has Comedy Zone ($25 ticket) this weekend and a free concert in the Loop. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach. For more information, visit Riverside
Theatre.com or call 772-231-6990.
