As Edison bulbs light up the night along Royellou Lane between Fifth and Third avenues, enthusiasts flock to the newly minted Art in the Alley.
The event — from 6 to 9 p.m. on the second Friday of the month — replaces the monthly Art Splash. Beginning in January, Art in the Alley will feature a theme every quarter.
Chelsey Velilla, gallery manager and volunteer coordinator for the Mount Dora Center for the Arts, said the event is a joint effort by local galleries. Visitors are encouraged to pick up an Art in the Alley map at a nearby gallery and have it marked by each business on the map. Once visitors have visited all of the galleries, they can take the completed map to Gatehouse Gallery at the Lakeside Inn to be entered into a drawing. Local galleries will be open until 8 p.m.
“Art Splash had artists spread out and we wanted to get art in one centralized location,” Velilla said. “This way, everybody knows where to come to see all the vendors and they don’t have to search through downtown.”
About 25 artists, musicians and vendors set up along the alley to entertain passersby or sell their goods.
October featured the first Art in the Alley and Keely Lumbra, of Mount Dora, walked away with three paintings from artist Julia Ratcliffe.
“They’re really beautiful,” Lumbra said. “I’ve never seen anything like these before.”
Ratcliffe, who graduated from Tavares High School last year, said this was her first show.
“One great thing is we’re trying to bring in emerging artists alongside established artists and make it a risk free environment for them,” Velilla said.
For the younger crowd, the Mount Dora Center for the Arts will have a make-and-take table where kids can paint a rock and take it with them to place around town for an unsuspecting person to find.
For information or to become a vendor, go to secondfridayartinthealley.com.