Art festival rolls into downtown Art festival rolls into downtown (August 26, 2005)

Traffic and merriment expected at annual street fest

by Jocelyn Dong

There's a saying that two's company and three's a crowd, but how about 150,000? Must be the Palo Alto Festival of the Arts.

The 24th annual street fair will take over University Avenue and adjacent blocks from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. About 300 local and international artists will display their wares between High and Webster streets.

Traffic is expected to be a challenge, as nearly three times the population of Palo Alto comes downtown.

To set up for the festival and during the weekend, certain blocks will be cordoned off, according to a spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce, the event's sponsor.

Tasso Street will be completely closed between University and Lytton avenues during the street fair. Cowper, Bryant and Emerson streets will be blocked between Lytton and Hamilton avenues during the festival hours, but opened Saturday evening from 8 p.m. to Sunday at 6 a.m.

Other roads -- Kipling, Waverley, Florence and Ramona streets -- will be closed mid-block between University and Lytton, and also between University and Hamilton.

Downtown garages and parking lots will be open.

Event organizers welcome festivalgoers to bicycle or walk.

A bicycle corral will be located on Waverley Street behind the Union Bank. Volunteers from the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition will be on hand all weekend to guard the bicycles. Cyclists will be given a numbered ticket by which they can retrieve their bikes.

"It keeps the bikes from cluttering University Avenue," said Ellen Fletcher, the corral organizer and former city council member.

Last year, the group provided the free service to 276 bicyclists, Fletcher said. The previous year, 317 biked to the festival. Because of the volunteer guards, cyclists need not bring locks.

The coalition will also host a table with organizational handouts, safety information, and bike maps.

The Chamber of Commerce-sponsored festival will feature artisans skilled in ceramics, fiber, fine art, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, photography and wood. One artist even hails from the Netherlands.

As in years past, Italian street painting -- chalk drawings on asphalt -- will be on exhibit along Tasso Street. Teams from companies and organizations, as well as individuals, will be demonstrating their talents. This year, the Palo Alto Partners in Education will receive funds raised from the street-painting team fees and has already earmarked them for teacher grants in visual and performing arts.

Entertainers will play on three stages throughout the weekend, from Hawaiian crooners to rhythm-and-blues bands. Other musicians, such as an Italian guitar-and-mandolin duo, will wander through the crowd as they play.

Food vendors from near and far will set up shop at the festival, including Palo Alto-based Rick's Rather Rich Ice Cream and others offering Salvadoran pupusas and fried calamari. Beverages from microbrews and California wineries will also be on hand.

The event is not only a vehicle to raise awareness of downtown Palo Alto and the Chamber of Commerce, but also an opportunity for local nonprofits to spread the word about their services. Eleven nonprofit organizations will host booths this year on Emerson Street.

The Weekly is a sponsor of the festival.

Senior Staff Writer Jocelyn Dong can be reached at jdong@paweekly.com.

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