Fridays After 5 – Summer 2015

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25/03/2015

So we had an idea…

If you know anyone at Home Grain Bakery, you know how often this statement comes up in day-to-day speak, and you also know how dangerous just one idea can be. Ideas, we are not short of. Ideas get us into trouble. Ideas make us open a bakery without any prior experience, and then open a second bakery within just two years of that one. They make us double our staff numbers every year for four years running. This idea though, this idea simmered just below the surface since the day we got the keys to 13 Old Coach Road, Aldinga.

“Somewhere for people in the community to meet.”

“A place that everyone feels welcome.”

“Something to do on a Friday night! Simple, good food; lively, fun atmosphere.”

That’s it. That is the little seed that grew into the sprout that blossomed into Fridays After 5 – Aldinga. Pizza by the slice, live music, market stalls to peruse. All done well and all done locally.

So we set our bakers to find the best pizza dough recipe, and to start trying out pizza toppings. (Luckily we have a lot of happy little ‘guinea pigs’ around to try all of the flavours they came up with!) We started talking to local artists to see who might be interested in hosting a market stall in our alleyway – which was actually still just a gravel driveway at that point. It took a lot of imagination, and a lot of people each doing their part. But isn’t that was this community is for??? If we each do just one thing we are good at, can’t you just imagine what type of beautiful event we could create???

Here’s a picture.

We kicked our event off on Boxing Day. The weather was beautiful, and there were clearly plenty of holiday-makers around town looking for something to do! Our pizzas were coming out great…until we realised that there was no way we could keep up! So many more people came to get pizzas than we were prepared for!!! Ooops…so we took a break (thank you to all of our super patient customers who came down and didn’t mind waiting – you guys are awesome!!!) and we took notes, knowing that at least we would be better prepared for the following week!!

The next week, however, turned out to be 40 degrees – pretty stinkin’ hot!! No worries, plenty of people showed up, and we still had tons of fun. Again, we took notes for the 3rd Fridays After 5 in the week ahead…

Which (naturally) came with cold, rainy weather! Of course! Even still, we had a lot of fun. The stall-holders that chose to still come down for our market all huddled together under a few marquees (thank you, dear friends at the Aldinga Community Bank Branch for the use of your marquee!), we set Fine & Dandy Teahouse up inside the bakery (what a wonderful splash of colour she provided!) and had a super special guest, Chris Finnen, the world renowned blues guitarist, set up in his bright pink jacket under our neighbours verandah! This night, while certainly a lot cooler than our anticipated warm summer evenings, really made the area feel so alive with a vibrant community spirit!

The final two Fridays After 5’s for the season were both absolutely perfect! Once 5pm hit each Friday the energy on the street started to positively vibrate! In the end, I think the event was a major success, and cannot even wait to take the winter to gather ideas and more people to help bring them back for the next season of Fridays After 5!

Aldinga, you rock!

All-in-all, the momentum that built up during Friday nights in Aldinga was fantastic to see! The community involvement, the energy, the vibe of the entire street was simply stunning to witness! Thank you to everyone who came down to see what this crazy idea was all about! And thank you to our neighbours who jumped right on board with us – Rich & Lisa at Maxwell’s Local Grocery, who stayed open late each Friday serving their delicious green juices and Wakefield Grange burgers, Janet at her Natural Essence Health “pop-up” who served sensational raw & vegan food & smoothies, and Joff & Razak across the road who quickly set up an outdoor clothing market in their new property across the road at Miss Gladys On Sea! And to all of our market stall holders, who I imagine you will see most of back for next summer!

The event will take a break over winter, but will be back every Friday starting in October!

Check out the Facebook page for more details: www.facebook.com/fridaysafter5aldinga

We will be hosting a workshop in June for anyone who is interested in joining the tide that is Fridays After 5 – Aldinga, and getting swept along with the revival of Downtown Aldinga and this brilliant idea we had!!!