Tehachapi is wired for excitement, despite its sleepy mountain town exterior. All year round, you can find community events sprinkled throughout the town. Catch a movie at one of Tehachapi’s beautiful parks — Brite Lake, Philip Marx Central Park or Meadowbrook Park — or stroll around Tehachapi’s quaint downtown district on First Fridays.

Downtown is chock-full of local artists’ work and artisan goods and places like the BeeKay Theatre keep the spirit of performance art alive in Tehachapi. While the Tehachapi Mountain Festival might draw a larger crowd, there’s enough arts and culture fun year-round that’s just as enticing.

FIRST FRIDAY

Downtown Tehachapi is the spot for visitors on the first Friday of every month. Attendees can get their fill of art during the First Friday Art Walk and artist receptions at historic downtown locales. Other events and local businesses participate interchangeably, so check out Tehachapi News for details during your visit.

CONCERTS

If it’s the classics you’re craving, the Tehachapi Symphony Orchestra is sure to satisfy. An award-winning orchestra, it performs a variety of concerts throughout the year at Country Oaks Baptist Church, 20915 Schout Road. The nonprofit symphony has been conducted by director David Newby since the 1999-2000 season. It’s fully funded through private donations. For more information, visit tehachapiorchestra.com.

Fiddlers Crossing will satisfy your craving for acoustic coffeehouse music. Fresh-brewed coffee, teas and other goodies are included in the ticket price. The first concert will resume this fall.

New to Tehachapi is the Tehachapi Concerts in the Park at Philip Marx Central Park. Acts range from country to indie to rhythm and blues. Wind down on selected Sundays during the summer to free music while enjoying Tehachapi’s fresh mountain breeze. Check out bands, artists and dates at www.tvrpd.org/events/music-in-the-park.html.

TEHACHAPI TREASURE TROVE

The Tehachapi Treasure Trove is your source for tchotchkes, knickknacks and art supplies in Tehachapi. Its treasures include yarn, sewing materials, beads, etc. You can put those supplies to use by attending one of the Tehachapi Treasure Trove’s many classes at 116 E. Tehachapi Blvd. To find a schedule of these classes, visit its Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pg/TehachapiTreasureTrove/. Tehachapi Treasure Trove hosts a First Friday Fun Fest on the first Friday of the month. For more information, call 661-822-6794 or visit tehachapitreasuretrove.com.

BEEKAY THEATRE

The BeeKay Theatre, 110 S. Green St., is Tehachapi’s first neon-lighted building. It was built in 1932 and restored in 2008. The theater hosts the Playwright’s Festival every July, where playwrights, both nationally and internationally, can submit unproduced work, in April, for a chance to win the title of Playwright of the Year. The theater is run by Tehachapi Community Theatre, a nonprofit, which puts on a variety of live shows throughout the year.

FIDDLERS CROSSING

The stomping ground for all things acoustic, Fiddlers Crossing, 206 E. F St., is your Tehachapi source for unplugged-style music in a coffeehouse atmosphere. Fiddlers Crossing will resume this fall. It will host a plethora of events year round, but is always open on Wednesdays for open mic night, 7 to 10 p.m. It’s also open on First Friday for an open house of entertainment, coffee and tea. Fiddlers Crossing hosts a variety of music styles: traditional and contemporary folk, bluegrass, singer-songwriter, Americana, country, western, blues, Celtic, world and others. Call 661-823-9994 or visit fiddlerscrossing.org for more information.

GALLERY ’N’ GIFTS

Gallery ’N’ Gifts is the Tehachapi Valley Arts Association’s co-op, which sells a multitude of fine decor in the front of the store and hosts eclectic artwork, available for purchase, in its gallery in the back of the store. Gallery ’N’ Gifts sells a variety of products like hand-poured scented candles, hand-sewn quilts, pottery, luxurious bath and body products, beaded and precious metal jewelry, and woodwork to name a few. It’s on 100 W. Tehachapi Blvd., at Green Street and Tehachapi Boulevard, and open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 661-822-6062 or visit galleryngifts.org for more information.

HITCHING POST THEATERS

To catch the latest movies on the big screen, the Hitching Post Theaters is the spot. The multiscreen complex is on the corner of Green and F streets. While you’re watching your movie, snack on some frozen cheesecake on a stick, a Hitching Post Theater classic. For more information, call 661-823-7469 or visit hitchingposttheaters.com.

MOVIES IN THE PARK

If concerts aren’t your thing, Movies in the Park will allow you to spread a blanket on the grass of Philip Marx Central, Brite Lake and Meadowbrook parks and enjoy the summer weather. During the summer, enjoy movies played on a 26-foot inflatable screen with theatrical sound on selected nights. If you’re feeling hungry, the Tehachapi Valley Recreation and Park District supplies a concessions stand for the viewings. For more information or an entertainment schedule, call 661-822-3228.