First Friday was fun-tastic!

These folks were part of the "freeze flash mob" on Market Square. They posed this way for five minutes.

With something called a “SlutWalk” on the agenda followed a few hours later by a “freeze flash mob” on Market Square, you just knew that this past First Friday in downtown Knoxville would be the best ever. And it was.

The SlutWalk was actually a pretty serious event. Seems a cop in Canada made a bonehead remark to the effect that women wouldn’t get raped if they didn’t dress “like sluts.” Clearly this “blaming the victim” attitude hit a worldwide nerve. Now so-called SlutWalks are being held in cities everywhere. At a SlutWalk, folks dress provocatively and make the point that the victim is never to blame — no  matter what she (or he) may be wearing.

Although thousands have turned out for these events in other cities, the one held Friday in the Krutch Park extension only attracted about 35 participants. Word has it that a much bigger protest is being organized for August when the appropriate parade permits, etc., can be arranged.

Here’s a look at Knoxville’s SlutWalk, as well as the other regularly scheduled First Friday fare — and the freeze flash mob, of course!

Four of the folks at SlutWalk

The point of SlutWalk: end victim-blaming.

The SlutWalk crowd

Then it was time for Alan and me to head up Gay Street to check on some First Friday activities. The thing that struck us the most was how absolutely happy everyone was. We’d pass friends and acquaintances on the street and always hear the same remark: “Isn’t this great?”

Our first stop was the Art Market, one of our favorite downtown art galleries. We swore we wouldn’t buy anything because we don’t have any more room.

The Art Market was serving wine and snacks and had a good crowd.

Alan ran into his childhood friend, Mike Browning. Mike's wife, Paula, is an artist involved with the Art Market.

I loved these pears by artist Karen Kyle.

She also did this pie!

But it was one of our favorite artists, Hugh Bailey, who made us break our promise to ourselves. We collect his animals. But we don’t have a horse. Or at least we didn’t until Friday!

Artist Hugh Bailey holds a horse that now lives in our condo.

As we were leaving, we ran into Judy Blackstock and couldn’t help but compliment her on her seasonal attire. Seems the Fourth of July is her birthday!

Ready to celebrate!

Two weeks ago, some kind of law changed and Downtown Wine + Spirits started having wine and cheese tastings. Last week we tasted and then purchased three new wines we’d never had before. We did the same thing this past Friday. I guess we are like everyone else. We get in a rut and keep buying the kind of wine we know we like. But when allowed to taste some new ones, it turns out we like them as well. This is great marketing on the part of our friends at the only downtown liquor store.

Ashley Bartlett pours the samples.

Here are our three new discoveries. Interestingly, the middle one has a label that also contains Braille printing on it. We've already consumed the one on the right. Light and crisp and perfect for summer.

We were headed toward the Emporium Center when we passed our downtown friend John Craig who recommended we also stop in the UT Downtown Gallery for a peek at a series of Civil War mixed media pieces by the late Richard LeFevre, a well-known art teacher at UT. Click here for a story about the exhibit in Sunday’s News Sentinel. We found the exhibit fascinating and I intend to go back before the it ends Aug. 13.

Calvin Chappelle, who also happens to be executive director of the historic Mabry-Hazen House, plays the fife outside the Civil War exhibit.

Here's one of the pieces. Please excuse the reflection of Alan above General Longstreet's head!

We stopped by the Emporium because we wanted to see what the studio space there looks like. Alan is interested in taking up painting and may want a studio at some point.

Here is some of the studio space in the Emporium.

Artist Pam Radford paints manatees in her studio there.

And seahorses

Smart politicians and their people were out mingling with potential voters Friday. We saw lots of signs for mayoral candidate Mark Padgett and we ran into his opponent Madeline Rogero.

Photographer Dan Andrews and Madeline Rogero on Gay Street.

Stephen Dupree is one of Rogero's biggest supporters.

Part of the festive atmosphere is created by things merchants do to entice customers to enter their stores. Of course there are great signs and sometimes you hear music wafting out open doors. But we liked these folks stationed at the entrance to Unarmed Merchants.

Eye-catching

Interesting

At almost 8 p.m., we headed toward Market Square so we could watch the freeze flash mob. We knew that at 8 sharp, a bunch of people were going to freeze in place and hold their poses for five minutes. We just wondered how many would do it. We decided to stake out a place at Cocoa Moon where we intended to have dinner. Some of our friends already were there!

Kyle Touchstone of the Chamber was having a refreshment while he waited for the event to start.

Eddie Mannis, left, and Tim Young snagged great patio seats right by the rail at Cocoa Moon. But here they are in the middle of Market Square checking things out.

One minute the crowd was milling around.

The crowd on Market Square just before 8.

And then, all of a sudden, folks just froze!

This would be a hard pose to hold for five minutes!

Great job!

Ouch!

Pretty smart pose, if you ask me. Probably easy to maintain.

Yo-yo. Clever.

Hahaha!

After five minutes, folks broke into applause. And then everyone went about his or her own business!

What a great, great evening. I’ve worked downtown for 31 years. Back when I started, I never would have dreamed downtown Knoxville one day would be so exciting, creative and just plain fun! Great job, everybody.

Here’s a one-minute video I shot of the freeze flash mob. Hahaha!

Click here

Photo credit: Kyle Touchstone took the picture of Eddie Mannis and Tim Young.