Summer is finally here. It’s a time to throw the burgers on the grill and bask in those rich summer rays and enjoy your significant other, friends and family. But you can only barbecue so many times. There’s a better way to celebrate summer — downtown at this week’s Fourth Friday!
    For those of you who don’t know the drill, Fourth Friday is a sort of “gallery crawl” arranged by the Arts Council of Fayetteville/Cumberland County that takes place on, you guessed it, the fourth Friday of each month. Each Friday is centered around an unveiling of an exhibit at the Arts Council, which features refreshments and refreshing entertainment (this month proves big with the group Brothers Igniting a Groove), while other downtown shops host similar, and FREE, activities of their own.
    {mosimage}This month, the Arts Council aligned itself with nature and went green. It had a public call for art, though some might just consider it junk. Glass bottles, aluminum and steel cans, plastic bottles, newspapers, cardboard and even junk mail are just some of the items the city of Fayetteville is encouraging our community to recycle and the Arts Council wants to know what to “make of it.” So, on Friday, June 27, everyone can find out during the opening of the art show Recycle! It’s Second Nature, from 7-9 p.m. at the Arts Council, 301 Hay St.
    That’s not the only green of the picture — cash awards will be presented to the best pieces of “Recycled Art” in three different age groups. The show will feature works of art made by residents of Cumberland County, Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base.
    “This is a great way to kick off our citywide recycling program and explain the importance of helping our environment,” said Jackie Tuckey, public information officer for the city. As the Fourth Friday sponsor, the city will provide educational displays with Dottie Bottle and Recycler the Robot teaching how easy it is to make recycling a part of your everyday life.
    Recycle! It’s Second Nature will run through July 19. A list of the other participating shops is listed on www.theartscouncil.com/4th_Friday. For more information, contact the Arts Council at (910) 323-1776.