‘So much talent’: ABPA’s Fourth Fridays Summer Series offers something for everyone

Great weather and good vibes combined to make Clark Summit’s Fourth Friday a rousing success. On June 26, the event hosted by the Abington Business and Professional Association (ABPA) featured an evening of music, food, art and more.

People of all ages started off their weekend enjoying sights, sounds, and shopping.

“What an amazing turnout,” Clarks Summit Borough Council President Gerrie Carey said while enjoying Irish Session Music at the Gathering Place. “There’s something for everyone.”

ABPA Treasurer Milena DelVecchio, who owns Parabello boutique on State Street, said the series was an idea the group had talked about for months. She said they wanted an event that would bring people out to Clarks Summit not just to shop, but to enjoy the town’s charm.

“We thought, ‘there’s so much talent in this town,’ and what a great way to showcase not only the talent, but also the local businesses,” DelVecchio said.

Visitors heard a variety of music on Friday. Composer and cellist Colleen Ruddy, who has performed with internationally known acts like The Who and Andrea Bocelli, entertained State Street Grill’s dining crowd. At Le Chic Boutique, Phil Stark strummed the banjo, while Abby and Dave of Scranton-based band The 335 performed as A & D Duo at Everything Natural. Husband and wife team Dylan and Eilish, known as DJ Cowgirls Pills, spun a mix of pop, club and disco in front of Golden Coast boutique. Meanwhile, at Crow Designs on Depot Street, guitar player John Meza played while shoppers enjoyed the letterpress art of owner Christine Medley.

The first Fourth Friday featured an abundance of artistry. From pottery to wire art, painted clothing and accessories, glass art and sculpture, every imaginable media was represented. At Classic Properties, artist and ABPA member Cara Colombo, who helped coordinate the event and created its artwork, invited visitors to make their own art stacks at her Art Bar. At Stately Pet Supply, interdisciplinary artist and art educator Leanna Yatcilla showed her paintings, while her mother Marcia showed her selection of adorable crocheted chickens and bees.

Tunkhannock-based artist Darlene Keen displayed her landscape paintings in front of Everything Natural. She said the evening offered a rare opportunity for her to interact with patrons.

“Typically, when I have my art hanging in a space, I’m not there when people come to see it,” Keen said. “This was a nice chance to talk to people about my process.”

Some of the artists invited passersby to help create. At Golden Coast boutique, Bucks County interpretive painter Kristine asked visitors to draw their inner soul on a canvas using paint pens of their favorite colors. As the evening went on, Izak interpreted the collaboration into a painting.

“I don’t always know what I’m going to end up with when I start,” Izak said. “I just paint whatever I see.”

Also at Golden Coast was mixed media artist Mary Spera, a New York-based artist who upcycles items she finds at rummage sales and thrift shops.

“Everyone has been so positive and welcoming,” Spera said. “It’s been such a pleasure just to talk to everyone who stops by.”

The boutique also offered farm-to-table fare catered from chef Spencer Atkins at All Around Chef.

“We never do anything half way,” Golden Coast owner Tara Atkins said with a smile.

Atkins also had her children’s book, “Found: A Potcake Puppy Story,” which Colombo illustrated, on hand at her boutique and other stores. Additional writers appearing during the event included poets Kaitlyn Fleming and Katie Shea Heyen.

In front of Pure Suds Co., Jenny Matthews, aka Miss Jenny, entertained crowds with her interactive art and music at “The Jenny Party.” Matthews brought a hip and offbeat energy, wearing faerie ears as she danced and sang pop songs while painting. Matthews was frequently accompanied by both kids and adults who wanted to join in the fun.

Fourth Friday featured offerings for the sartorially inclined, too. At Wink Lash Artistry, Beth Gasper offered her “Re-fin’d Ruffle Shirts and Jeans” decorative clothing. Dalton nail artist Savanah Heater had her custom-made press on nails for sale, and Bonnie Richards had her painted bags for sale by Clel’s Place on Barrett Street.

Other artists on hand during the event included Karina Singer and Desiree Gallagher, who displayed their work at Woods & Company; wire artist Sean Brady; pottery by sculptor Eva Zenk; painters Kevin Donahoe, Stephanie Alocci Graham, Michele McDade and Cherie Fruhan; mixed media artists Nikki Winters and Maria Grzybowski; jewelry artist Jennifer Nied; floral artist Holly Sebastian and papier mache artist David Kimble.

The evening also offered educational opportunities. In addition to seeing the work of featured potter Breanna Robak, beginners had the chance to hone their skills at Abington Art Studio with Sip & Paint workshops and pottery classes. In front of The Nyx, Lauren Scavone promoted Music Together® of the Abingtons, the curriculum-based early childhood music and movement classes that Scavone teaches at Waverly United Methodist Church.

“We have so many things to come,” said Atkins, an ABPA board member.

With a relatively new board breathing new life into the organization, she said they hope to add more events throughout the Abingtons to their event calendar, which currently includes the annual Festival of Ice and Small Town Holiday Shop Around.

“This is only the beginning,” she said.

The next Fourth Fridays in Clarks Summit are slated for July 24, Aug. 28 and Sept. 25, from 5 to 8 p.m.

A word to the wise: arrive early for time to experience everything. With more than 30 artisans, musicians, businesses and more located not just along State Street, but throughout the Clarks Summit area, the Fourth Fridays Summer Series offers an evening jam packed with things to see and do from beginning to end.