On the first Saturday evening of each month, artists come out of the woods and out of the woodwork for Eureka’s Arts! Alive . Tourists and residents alike stroll, grazing and sipping their way along Eureka’s waterfront, home to dozens of galleries. Picture a less bawdy Mardi Gras. The epicenter is at the corner of F and 2nd Streets, where one you might see a prancing accordionist, rock band jamming in an alleyway, maybe even spiraling fire dancers. At 9 p.m., the party moves toward the west end of Old Town, where the sort of Bohemians who once flocked to Greenwich Village now gather to check out cutting-edge visual and performance art in cramped studios and converted seafood warehouses.

Expect the unexpected. One gallery hosted a collaboration in which sculptors, dancers, and puppeteers explored the subject of ghost towns. By one estimate, there are more artists per capita in Humboldt County than any other county in California; you can count them for yourself on this evening. The recently restored Arkley Center for the Performing Arts, returned to service in February following a hiatus of more than 30 years, hosts local talent and offers a free look at one of the few surviving vaudeville and silent movie houses left in California. Whatever your opinion of the onstage talent, the experience of wandering through this 1920 Spanish Colonial Revival landmark is worth its weight in gold.