YORK-August is just around the corner and so is the First Saturday celebration for the city of York. The first Saturday of every month the city provides tours of many downtown studios along with several other fun events. People come to attend the tours from all over Alabama and the nation. Saturday Aug. 6, the tour will again be offered.

One of the favored destinations of the walking tours has been the Bicycle Shed. The Bicycle Shed will be open from 9

a.m. until noon to give new visitors a chance to come and see what the shed is all about and give the young people of Sumter County a chance to come have their bicycles repaired, adjusted or learn valuable safety tips.

For those who have not visited before, the Bicycle Shed is a rehabilitation and upgrade project completed on a failing, city-owned structure in York,

The structure’s main purpose is to house the utility NOW! public works vehicles that were created by the municipal WORKSHOP in 2003. This project involves a number of low-impact design features and also was a catalyst for the creation of a community bicycle-recycling program and student workshop. Community volunteers Jessie Cunningham and Ervin Sturdivant, Jr. run the bicycle-recycling workshop.

The youth bicycle workshops are held the first Saturday of each month and are free to children 17 and under.

There are several amazing renovations that have been made to the building. The Bicycle Shed’s water system works through rainwater harvesting and all used water is pumped outside the building to surrounding plant beds. A hand washing station is located at the back of the building. The structure is also equipped with a functional TV/Radio antenna and a solar panel mounted to the antenna base supplies the energy for the buildings water pumps. The water pumps are portable, and can be used with one of the utility NOW! vehicles that has been equipped for the watering of area plants and trees.

The Bicycle Shed has been made possible by the generous funding and support of The Alabama Power Foundation, The City of York and The Coleman Center for Arts and Culture.

Another special event will accompany the upcoming walking tour. “Set The Table, Please,” a Trunk Show by it’s all in the past, will feature vintage tableware, table linens, serving pieces and dining furniture.

The show, a first in York, will be held in Mary Jane Everett’s basket studio,

The Coleman Center for Arts and Culture will also continue exhibiting the work of UWA artist/faculty member, Nick Davis.

Originally from Tuscaloosa, AL, Nick Davis received his BFA from the University of Alabama in 1993, and in 1996, he received his MFA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Nick Davis has taught at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg VA, Seminole Community College in Sanford FL, and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa AL.

Nick currently resides in Tuscaloosa and is an instructor at The University Of West Alabama in Livingston.

Nick’s current work is best described as mixed media drawing, although he has worked in a variety of other media including painting, sculpture, video and performance.

Nick Davis has exhibited work at The Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill, NC, Artomatic in Durham NC, Armory Art Gallery in Blacksburg VA, Allegany Highlands Arts Center in Clifton Forge VA, and at the University of Central Florida in Orlando FL.