North Beach Week: First Fridays, Fireworks, Ice Cream Sandwiches, More

It's set to be a fun and festive Independence Day weekend in and around North Beach.

First Fridays kick off the month of July tomorrow with new events to keep an eye on, including Jayde Fish & Joe Zygaj debuting their new series at Sweeties Art Bar (475 Francisco St.), new abstract paintings by Benjamin Arizmendi at the Live Worms Gallery (1345 Grant Ave.), a new "Maven" painting series at Grey City Gallery (250 Columbus Ave.), a closing party for the Nature Illuminated series at the Canessa Gallery (708 Montgomery St.) and a new ceramic sculpture install by Natasha Dikareva and Katie Swan at the Clay by the Bay Pottery Studio (1242 Mason St.). As always, be sure to check out their area map and Twitter feed for any last minute additions.

On Saturday, the SoCal-based ice cream sandwich shop Baked Bear will have its grand opening at 303 Columbus Ave, so never again will you have to wonder aloud where the closest place is to score a mix of Fruity Pepples and Soy Chocolate Chip ice cream.

July 4th brings with it BBQs, picnics and, of course, fireworks. The fireworks show near Pier 39 will kick off at 9:30pm, preceded by music from '80s cover band Tainted Love and, over at Aquatic Park, tunes by Prince tribute band The Purple ones (6pm) and dance party band The Cheeseballs (7:45pm). In addition to several fireworks viewing cruises, there's also the Ghirardelli Square Beer Garden, which is open from 11am-7pm. People stake out their areas early, so try to head out and grab your spot in advance.

In North Beach in the news, KQED has a story on the great work that the North Beach Citizens provides for the homeless, SF Gate provides a step-by-step guide to following the footsteps of the Beat Generation around town, and SF Weekly has a review of The Barbary Coast restaurant (478 Green St.).

Now, on to our editor's picks for the days ahead. For a full list of what's going on around town this weekend and beyond, don't forget to check our hoodline.com/events. If you see a local event missing and want to get in on the fun, submit it for free for the chance to see it featured in our next events roundup.