When Hawai'i State Art Museum educator Susan Hogan arrived on the scene in January 2006, part of her job was to create a family-friendly version of First Friday.

"First Friday has become almost like a pub crawl, in a way," she said. "The demographic for Second Saturday is a little gentler, older, more family."

To that end, the museum, which already had a popular hands-on gallery, invited artists for demonstrations and paired up with other organizations to lure the stroller crowd downtown. Today, for instance, the Department of Land and Natural Resources hosts an art/environment scavenger hunt and eco-exhibits and activities.

And the event is growing. "We started it thinking it would be for families with young children, and we're getting that, but we're also getting adults and seniors."

Why make a trip into town on a Saturday? There's less traffic, more parking (see list), and lots to do. "I think people do cruise around a bit," said Hogan. "That's part of the goal, to bring people downtown so they can enjoy it. It's much quieter on Saturday."