Having A Few Friends, 300,000 Of Them, Over This Weekend For The Park Ave. Fest

It's, by far, the largest event held here at my home...The Annual Park Avenue Summer Arts Festival...this year, the 33rd annual edition.  It's a tradition that started in 1976 and draws people from 23 states and Canada to join me for one hell of a party...this year, expecting over 300,000 welcoming them to where I live...Park Ave. in Rochester, New York.  The street will be swamped Saturday and Sunday, as people come to explore the arts and soooo much more...well over 300 display booths alone!  The sunshine and warm temperatures predicted with make the crowd swell to record proportions...all coming together to celebrate life and party together.

The Park Ave. Fest is a people party filled with fun that draws recording-breaking crowds every year.  It was originally created to celebrate the works of the city's artisans and has expanded to include food and entertainment, demonstrations and more food and did I mention refreshments and food?  Oh, don't forget...tons of people, too.  Perfect weather means the crowd will swell to record proportions again this year; expected to exceed last year's total of 302,000 people.  One third, one out of every three of the one million people in the metropolitan Rochester region, will show up at my doorsteps.  The Park Ave. Fest was one of the bonuses that factored into my decision to make my home at the western edge of the business district, in a three-story apartment building that features twin balconies and a ground-floor veranda, so I can watch the comings and goings on 'The Strip' from my top-floor perch.

Last year, my first living in the midst of all the action, I was two months out of the hospital and on crutches from losing my right leg.  That didn't stop me.  I managed to hobble out and about to capture a couple hundred pictures, some of which I shared here in my post about last year's event.  Having a fake leg now, I'll most definitely be able to snap even more photos...and I'll be able to sample the refreshments, too, not to mention I'll have more attention to spare looking at the displays rather than having to watch out for all those 300,000 people so I don't hit someone with a crutch and they don't trip me up.  I did it, though.  It was part of my self-affirmation that, despite what had happened to me, life wasn't over and there was still a lot for me to experience even though I had lost a leg.  Living life itself was my therapy and motivation.  It was all quite the 'adventure'...and I made it.  With a prosthetic leg now, I'll be able to drink in even more of the excitement.

The festival is spread out over the mile and a half section covering a dozen blocks of Park Avenue, one of the city's prime spots.  Being a youthful, affluent, artsy-fartsy section of the city; Park Ave. is always a hub of activity; even on a 'normal' day, the street is alive with people.  For The Fest, it turns into a sea of humanity...ALL types...coming together to celebrate life...and there's something for everyone.  It's quite the thing to experience and if you're anywhere near the Upstate Western New York area; it's well worth the drive to attend.  Park wherever you can find a spot in the hundreds of blocks surrounding the festival strip.  I'm located in the business district display section, which, of course, is the most heavily concentrated area of the entire festival layout...where most of the food and beverages are situated amidst the eateries that are the mainstay of 'The Strip'.

It's quite the event...a little something for everyone.  There's the main theme of arts with many displays featuring paintings, sculptures, photographs, crafts and so much more made by the hands of artisans.  There are product demonstrations of new ideas on the market.  The community is involved with booths featuring some of the services available in Rochester.  They have activities to keep the young from getting bored and things more on the mellow side for the 'seniors' who don't think they can handle The Moonwalk.  The Fest will also host 33 different musical acts performing on four different stages over the course of the two days. And let's not forget 'The Animal House'; what I refer to where I live as.  Despite notices being hung by building management during last year's festival warning of wild parties and instituting a 'curfew' for the building's outdoor spaces; namely the balconies and veranda.  Let's just say, out of twenty apartments, there's a 'couple people and our friends' who might like to party and didn't pay any attenmtion to those notices...and no one complained.  The balconies were packed with partiers into the night; long after the festival shut down Saturday evening.  I took it easy seeing how I was still acclimating myself to being on crutches missing a leg and all I could see was me flipping over the balcony railing and splatting three floors down on the entrance sidewalk. This year...well that's going to be a different story.  I noticed the convenience store across the street has three 'mountains' of beer on display.  This neighborhood will NOT be a dry one this weekend, especially not with the amount of young partiers who live along 'The Strip'. The night between the two days the festival is held is like a national holiday here and the residents party hardy Saturday night to celebrate another successful Park Ave. Fest.

I know I'll be among those celebrating along with all the others; just celebrating life...and the fact I still have mine...like everyone else, but in a different mode.  I'll be spending my time right out there with all the rest...just like I did last year; only a bit easier this time.  I'll actually be walk among the people rather than having them all try to avoid running into me like last year; in part because I was on crutches, in part because I only had one leg...quite obvious simply by observation.  With my peg leg this year, no one will know.  I'll be one of 'them', blending into the crowd.  I hope, if you're anywhere near this area, you'll be joining me as one of the many.  Admission is free and I'll personally double your money back if you don't have a good time.  It's guaranteed!  If you're going to attend 'an event', you might as well make sure it's a big one!