Fri., June 2 was a busy night for Ponca City. Friday afternoon kicked off the events throughout the entire weekend. Between this summer’s opening show of Down by Downtown and the Cruzin Grand and Car Show, it is easy to say that those who had the fortune of being on Grand Ave that night were not disappointed.

During the first Friday of the months of June through Sept., Ponca City hosts what is know as First Fridays. First Fridays give the people of Ponca City the opportunity to see a live band, enjoy local food trucks, explore downtown, take in the art walk, and even do a little shopping. In the past, the concert series of Down by Downtown was held at Central Fare, but because of the support from the community, the space began to get a tad bit too small. Now, they have begun hosting their concert series at Veteran’s Plaza on 4th St and Grand from 6 pm to 9 pm.

For the first Down by Downtown concert of this summer, Ponca City Arts and Humanities brought in Oklahoma Native performer, Larry Newsom. Larry Newsom has been a professional performer for more than 25 years, making a name for himself through playing in bars and clubs across the country. He signed his debut national album in 2009, another in 2018, and now he has begun working in Nashville, Tn. on his next project. During his live shows, Larry plays a mix of country, rock, and anything in between both in cover songs and his own originals.

The line up for this year’s concert series is looking great so far. Larry Newsom of course played the first show on June 2, Rigby Summer and Richelle Sigrist are scheduled for the second concert on July 7th, Cale Lester with Kendall Lester are set to play the third show on August 4, and finally Denim Armadillo are booked for the final show on Sept. 1.

During Down by Downtown, the Schooners Car Club put on their Cruzin Grand event from 6 pm to 10 pm. Because of the requirement for all vehicles to be from 1989 or older, the selection of cars to look at had a wide variety of antique, vintage, and classic cars and all motorcycles were welcome as well. Saturday, the fun continued with the Car Show and Swap Meet they had planned as well. At Lake Ponca Park, drivers began lining up to show off their impressive vehicles. Trophies and cash prizes were awarded at this event and door prizes were given away the whole day.

Overall, this weekend was a blast and the people of Ponca City will not want to miss the next installment of either of these events. Keep any eye on the Ponca City Arts and Humanities Facebook page for updated on Down by Downtown and Schooners car club Facebook for their next car show.