Cops and controversy at first Third Friday

By Laura Davis

Sunday, Jan. 17, 2010 | 5:17 p.m.

If Third Friday takes a clue from the story of the tortoise and the hare, there’s hope for the second coming of the downtown celebration dedicated to the arts.

Friday night’s turnout at the Gypsy Den may have appeared dismal in comparison to the first-of-the-month event, but it was Third Fridays’ debut, and First Friday took its fair share of time getting to the point where it is today.

So, while the foot traffic wasn’t pounding the pavement, and Andrea Perez’s jewelry/craft stand set-up in the back area of the Gypsy Den wasn’t receiving the same love it had on First Friday — “I made $35 tonight, last First Friday I made $85,” Perez confessed — there’s still time for the event to grow, if the cops don’t continue to shut it down.

With a six-band lineup of local acts Vitamin Overdose, DPS, Lipstick Killas, Close to Modern, The Marquees and Absoludicrous!, the noise drew the attention of the cops, who showed up at approximately 11 p.m. and shut down the Den, preventing the last act of the night, Absoludicrous!, from getting a chance to play.

The Gypsy Den wasn’t the only part of Third Friday, but it was the only venue to receive the wrath of law enforcement. Owner Katie Cewe attributed that to the show’s placement.

“Because I’m outside is the main problem,” she says.

However, the noise wasn’t the only problem for the authorities. Cewe said the police told her the proper permits hadn’t been acquired, but later told her that was the authorities’ fault.

“They admitted on the phone that, ‘We messed up and you have to cease and desist,’” said Cewe in regards to the missing approval permits that the Den thought they had procured ahead of time, “The fire marshal came and he approved [the event], but something got messed up in the paperwork and it said he didn’t, but he was here and signed me off … it’s pretty difficult to have events.”

Despite all the controversy, Cewe said she does want to continue being a part of both monthly functions. “I’m going to keep doing it, I want to make it work because it can be something.”