Spring Break
The Daily OrangeLocal residents gather for Westcott street festival
By Shaun Janis
Posted: 9/14/09, 3:03 AM EST Section: Feature
Ed VanCott scanned the crowd as he tuned his mandolin before his bluegrass group was due to take the stage at the 18th annual Westcott Street Cultural Fair Sunday. "This is our first time performing here," VanCott said. "But it certainly won't be our last."
The festival, which featured more than 100 vendors and more than 40 performers, converted several blocks of Westcott Street into a celebration of food, music and community.
Although the event was advertised as the union of the university and the community, it was more of a community gathering of friends than a student-resident unifier. Juice Jam took place on the same day, perhaps subtracting from student attendance. Neighborhood residents walked their dogs down the barricaded street and exchanged greetings with each other as they browsed the food and musical offerings. Kelly and Steve Lasher from the town of Onondaga browsed homemade jewelry with their two daughters. The Lashers had never been to the fair before, but they plan to make it a new family tradition.
"You get to meet new people," said Mrs. Lasher. "It's nice to see friendly faces."
Light rain early in the day did not dampen spirits. In between songs, singer Dusty Pascal thanked his audience: "Thank you for staying with us through the drizzle." "Part of our goal is to bring everybody together," said fair chairwoman Grace Flusche. "We celebrate our students, our merchants and our neighborhood residents."
Flusche believes students should visit Westcott Street more often for its library, small grocery store, consignment boutique, performing arts center and variety of restaurants. A man carrying a sign advertising the Petit Library's book sale jogged past a family patiently waiting for Cuban sandwiches at Las Delicias Restaurant. Across the street, employees at Mom's Diner were dancing to the sounds of the street as they served burgers to hungry fairgoers.
"Not everyone knows about this area," said fair media relations assistant Sean Silver. "This fair is a great way to bridge the university community with the community as a whole." Silver says the event draws about 8,000 attendees yearly.
WAER-FM host Larry Hoyt was snapping photos of the festivities and waving to familiar faces as he walked down Westcott Street. "There is so much going on here that it's hard to take it all in," he said. "This is quite possibly one of the most active street fairs in the world."
The Westcott Street neighborhood has been an artistic and cultural hub since the '60s, said Hoyt. That legacy continued Sunday as artists proudly displayed their work and fair organizers placed a heavy emphasis on recycling and sustainability.
Hoyt recently authored "Westcott Nation," a street photography book that explores the neighborhood's vibrant art and culture. He encourages students to attend the Westcott Community Center Second Saturday Concert Series featuring a variety of acoustic music. The concerts will take place the second Saturday of every month beginning in October.
sdjanis@syr.edu
The festival, which featured more than 100 vendors and more than 40 performers, converted several blocks of Westcott Street into a celebration of food, music and community.
Although the event was advertised as the union of the university and the community, it was more of a community gathering of friends than a student-resident unifier. Juice Jam took place on the same day, perhaps subtracting from student attendance. Neighborhood residents walked their dogs down the barricaded street and exchanged greetings with each other as they browsed the food and musical offerings. Kelly and Steve Lasher from the town of Onondaga browsed homemade jewelry with their two daughters. The Lashers had never been to the fair before, but they plan to make it a new family tradition.
"You get to meet new people," said Mrs. Lasher. "It's nice to see friendly faces."
Light rain early in the day did not dampen spirits. In between songs, singer Dusty Pascal thanked his audience: "Thank you for staying with us through the drizzle." "Part of our goal is to bring everybody together," said fair chairwoman Grace Flusche. "We celebrate our students, our merchants and our neighborhood residents."
Flusche believes students should visit Westcott Street more often for its library, small grocery store, consignment boutique, performing arts center and variety of restaurants. A man carrying a sign advertising the Petit Library's book sale jogged past a family patiently waiting for Cuban sandwiches at Las Delicias Restaurant. Across the street, employees at Mom's Diner were dancing to the sounds of the street as they served burgers to hungry fairgoers.
"Not everyone knows about this area," said fair media relations assistant Sean Silver. "This fair is a great way to bridge the university community with the community as a whole." Silver says the event draws about 8,000 attendees yearly.
WAER-FM host Larry Hoyt was snapping photos of the festivities and waving to familiar faces as he walked down Westcott Street. "There is so much going on here that it's hard to take it all in," he said. "This is quite possibly one of the most active street fairs in the world."
The Westcott Street neighborhood has been an artistic and cultural hub since the '60s, said Hoyt. That legacy continued Sunday as artists proudly displayed their work and fair organizers placed a heavy emphasis on recycling and sustainability.
Hoyt recently authored "Westcott Nation," a street photography book that explores the neighborhood's vibrant art and culture. He encourages students to attend the Westcott Community Center Second Saturday Concert Series featuring a variety of acoustic music. The concerts will take place the second Saturday of every month beginning in October.
sdjanis@syr.edu
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