4th Avenue Street Fair

Twice a year, every spring and winter, there is a fairly large event just adjacent to downtown called the 4^th Avenue Street Fair. There are typically over 250 vendors selling just about anything you can think of…and even some items some people wouldn’t think of.

The diversity of items to buy and people to talk to are wonderful. Most everyone is friendly and happy to see you to discuss what they have to sell. This one man in particular had such wonderful photos created from small stones. They looked like waterfalls, rivers, sea shores, and mountains. It was amazing that he could magnify these small stones/rocks to look so different and beautiful. He truly found his passion and love after leaving a fairly high level and stressful job. Such a great and inspiring story to hear and share. Try to find what you love and do it~

I will say that if you don’t like crowds, this is not the place for you to be. It is stated that this family-friendly event brings over 600,000 people every year. There are artists from around the world, local entertainment, and a plethora of food options to enjoy.

Does anyone else love to people watch? This is one of those prime events for people watching and checking out what I like to call some of the “local flavor”. You know, some of the interesting locals. Our town is pretty diverse in people and it is great to see all the cultures getting together peacefully in one place.

This area started out as a residential part of town and later turned into a commercial district in 1916. It is part of the historic district, close to downtown, and the university. Even when the vendors are not present, there are over 140 locally owned shops, restaurants, bars, and entertainment all present in in historic buildings. A great hangout area for college students.

We stopped to eat about mid-way through the event. We chose a couple of gluten free cheese pizzas and some water at Magpies Gourmet Pizza.

It was great to have an actual seat to sit in. The weather was great that day, in the upper 70’s, so we found a spot out on the patio to relax and take a load off. There were quite a few food truck options, but no real place to sit and relax. And the lines for these food trucks are usually pretty long, so this option was perfect for us.  

“Lock Your Love on the Avenue” was so sweet to see. Here are a few pictures of the locks throughout the walk. From what I gather, you can purchase a lock from local vendors to show your love for someone. When you do, you receive a Valentine’s card and sticker. After collecting a certain number of stickers, you turn them in and receive a key. Using your key, you try to unlock one of the golden locks. If your key works, you receive a prize of some sort. Either way, it is sweet to buy a lock to show your love for someone and it is only done on certain days of the year, usually just before Valentine’s Day.

All in all, we had a nice family day out that didn’t break the bank. I’d say that’s a win ~ win across the board. We are trying to get out of the house more often. Finding things that are inexpensive, new, local or semi-local to enjoy our family time together just a little bit more each day.