Park Street Art & Wine Faire

Today was the first day of the Park Street Art and Wine Street Faire. The weather was cooperative and turned out to be a warm and sunny day. This year celebrates 25 years of the Art and Wine Faire which is a great accomplishment for the small town of Alameda. I've been attending the event for close to a decade and enjoy attending every year.

The food vendors are basically the same players who participate in the street faires in San Francisco every weekend. As I walked around today from Lincoln to Encinal along Park, the food choices available were pretty much bad for you. A majority of the food was deep fried or there were plates of food being served with a lot of grease. Nonetheless, gallons of wine and beer were flowing like a river. People loved the idea of walking around with a beer in hand, shopping, eating and talking.

Even though the street faire is about the wine and art, I believe the live music was by far the best part of the event. The musicians showed real talent and skill. The bands performed cover songs, but they were good and sounded very similar to the original recordings. Whereas the art vendors who showcased their work was mediocre. The end products did not reflect real talent or creative ingenuity. I think someone forgot to tell the artists that we are in a recession and that customers don't want flattened wine bottles hanged on their walls. The level of art was disappointing. I guess after a few beers, any art looks awesome.

Overall, it was a good day had by all. I even think the dogs appreciated going out and meeting other furry friends.