July 3, 2024 — Red, white, and blue acrylic paint abounded in Papa’s Place this past Sunday, June 30th, while Art by Eryn hosted a “Paint Party” with the Old Town Clovis restaurant.
This was a family-friendly event in which adults and kids of all ages could enjoy delicious food and drinks, share conversations with one another, and de-stress with some painting for a few hours. Tickets were $50 a person, which included a ticket for 1 drink, paint supplies, happy hour specials, and the raffle.
Participants, with the help of artist Eryn Lovik, learned to draw a landscape with mountains behind an American flag painted in the sky to celebrate the Fourth of July. While they painted, attendees enjoyed yummy churro donuts, peanut-butter cheesecake, and other delectable goodies, as well as participating in a raffle for drinks and artsy crafts donated by the community.
This was a combined effort by Lovik and Papa’s Place manager Michelle Roth. Roth also manages On the Edge coffee house just a few blocks away from Papa’s Place, and regularly organizes live music to be played at both locations from the local community for people from different backgrounds to converse.
Lovik also shares Roth’s passion for having community-centered events where people can get to know one another. Lovik stated, “My goal is that everyone in this community knows about Papa’s Place, knows about Art by Eryn, that we do these events and they leave just completely happy … I just want to reach more people.”
The women’s generosity is also reflected through their contributions to the event. Lovik explained that Papa’s Place donates a bottle of wine each time for the raffle, and Lovik herself donates various items from the items she sells at her vendor area inside of The Collective 103 store.
The Collective 103 is a co-op vendor store, in which various local vendors can sell their unique items to the community, such as clothing, stickers, wood carvings, and Lovik’s artistic creations.
But Lovik’s part of the store doesn’t just have her own art on display – it shares space with her daughter Emmy’s paintings, who began painting when the pandemic first hit for entertainment. Emmy now contributes to Lovik’s part of The Collective 103 with her own paintings.
Lovik also thought to support others through her and her daughter’s artwork to help those in need, and through fundraising, managed to raise thousands of dollars for local charities, including some that supported those impacted by The Creek Fire in fall 2020. A portion of Emmy’s paintings continues to support local charities today.
Papa’s Place and Lovik look forward to their next event, a back-to-school themed party on August 18th. Kids, educators, and school staff can attend the event at a discount of $40, with regular-priced tickets being $45. Each ticket includes 1 drink ticket, painting supplies, and happy hour specials, as well as the raffle.