West Fest

Sunday, August 10th

It was the fourth annual street festival on Chicago Ave. between Damen and Wood Street. Like many other street fests, local restaurants, art, retailers and more are featured throughout the whole weekend. Mainly, people attend to support their neighborhood and take advantage of a fun entertaining weekend filled with music and food in a friendly environment. Aside from the usual, this weekend specifically reached out to the pet lover. I have never seen so many dogs before, let alone pet retailers. Some vendors offered free dog treats, grooming stations and even dog shows. In addition to the canines, the music is always a main attraction for this festival, where big name headliners lead the crowd into the night. This year Redwalls and The Meat Puppets brought great music, much excitement and many attendants to the streets of West Fest. About 20,000 people were estimated to attend this weekend. This locally planned and managed (by the West Chicago Chamber of Commerce) festival separates it from the other festivals during the summer in Chicago.

Although I had to drive from Bradley, IL, take an hour train downtown, hop on the Blue line and walk about two miles AND work a six hour shift by myself---I still had a good time. This street fest was really no exception to the many others I attended this summer. I sold t-shirts, gave away can koozies, stickers, promoted an upcoming concert and gave out Meier coupons and beaded necklaces to the kids. I met yet another eclectic group of Chicagoans who never cease to amaze me with their testimonies as to why they love XRT. After sampling the Polish food vendor next to me and the Barefoot Wine vendor on the other side, I enjoyed great music and good spirits throughout the whole day. At the beginning of the day, I was pretty disappointed that I had to work by myself for six hours, but I had enough time to reflect on my summer as an intern for XRT. I have had the opportunity to attend a variety of street festivals, being exposed to all sorts of cultures, foods, drinks, music and people. I really have enjoyed the weekends I was able to walk the streets of Chicago and experience the weekend life of the neighborhood I was in. After six hours, Alissa (intern) relieved me and I was on my way home. It was a long day, but nonetheless a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon in the West Loop!