BLESSING OF THE FLEET

Last weekend, the small town up from us held their annual "Blessing of the Fleet" festival. The blessing itself took place on Sunday, but we went up Saturday when it wasn't so crowded.

The street was blocked off, and there were maybe a hundred or so booths winding around beneath the huge oaks. Here is the section going in:

And this is the end with the food!  There were Phillipine and Thai cuisines, as well as tacoes, alligator bites, chicken fingers, and other offerings. We chose fried local shrimp (fresh and scrumptious!) with fries and a funnel cake from the sweets booth.

I heard the man at this booth playing and went over to see, thinking he was touting his homemade dulcimers or zithers. But no! It was a string instrument with a neck in a bean can! No kidding! He was playing tunes out of a can! If you look closely at the middle right, you can see several instruments standing upright, cans at the bottom.

It was a good deal, too. The instrument and a booklet of music for twenty dollars. Perfect for a beginning guitar player!

On the way home, a bicycle rental shop in town sported a sign I adored. The Pedaling Pig! Doesn't he look carefree and happy?

All in all, a fun day!

FIRST FRIDAY

Each month, the Downtown Development Authority has an event on the first Friday of each month to encourage people to come to the older section of town. Shops stay open late. Some offer refreshments or other entertainment to people wandering by. Musicians play, restaurants offer samples, and there are crafts or other things for kids.

On last night's First Friday, people were encouraged to wear their Halloween costumes. We were there early and left as the crowds began to gather, but there were still things to see.

The kiddy corner held the play castles. We watched them being blown up.

And here is a cute little ladybug with her mom, ready to start having fun.

This exotic beauty handed out samples of fireball shots (some kind of liquor with coffee) outside The Southern Table and Bar. The woman on the right had just drunk one. The one on the left was about to take one. I haven't tried this restaurant but it's on my to-do list!

Here are people wandering on the sidewalk by one of the squares. The table on the left, if I remember correctly, was giving out literature on a no-kill animal shelter.

Across the street, at another square beside the restaurant Tipsy McSway's, a band played jazz.

This is the front part of that square. I didn't realize it at the time, but the bending woman on the right, was trying to get a response from a man who'd been listening to the music. Evidently, she had noticed him having problems.

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The response was quick, within a few minutes. Here you can see the yellow emergency vehicle over the bushes.

I don't know the outcome but I hope it was good. Other than that, we enjoyed the outing!

MORNING WALK

The local art association sponsored an arts/crafts fair in Postell Park today. We got there right before the vendors opened. The old oaks and the neat tents made for pretty pictures.

This is when we were approaching, looking at it from between the trees.

This was the first section in front of the casino.

This is the back view of booths facing the sidewalk.

And this is the last section backing up to the local bar and tea shop.

Gorgeous day to be out! A shame I didn't have enough money to buy anything.