Fairmount features a day of the arts and fine dining

By Jen McShane
Collegian Staff
April 25, 2007

Summertime allows for La Salle students to explore the city. With the warm weather, students can travel farther around the area and discover more of the outdoor events Philadelphia has to offer.

One of these outdoor events is the Fairmount Arts Crawl. The Arts Crawl takes place throughout the entire section of Fairmount in Philadelphia. It consists of an entire day of window shopping, where all businesses have an open house to showcase their merchandise. However, Fairmount is most proud of its dedication to the arts, precisely what visitors will get to experience by attending the Arts Crawl.

The event will be held Sunday, April 29 from 2-6 p.m., rain or shine and with free admission.

At the Arts Crawl, there are many free events and exhibitions for people to enjoy revolving around arts and music. Each section of Fairmount is designated various performances and venues offering merchandise, some free.

A majority of the events at the Arts Crawl feature musical performances. At the corner of 22nd and Fairmount Street, there will be a recital by Ellis Reed from 2-4 p.m. Reed’s musical styles include bluegrass, rock and folk. Acoustic Philadelphia will also feature a show from 2-6 p.m. Irish fiddling and soulful rock band, Mellow Veneer, can also be found at the Arts Crawl.

Besides the sounds of various types of music, Arts Crawl is famous for its eclectic group of art work. Along the entire 22nd Street sidewalk, there will be displays and demonstrations of mural art, a unique art style that can be found all over the city of Philadelphia. The corner of Fairmount and Corinthian Street is named “Neighborhood Potters,” a location featuring numerous displays of pottery works and demonstrations. From 2-6 p.m., the potters will be hosting a game of Clay Pictionary, where the audience guesses and interacts to discover what the clay forms represent. The Fairmount Art Center will have crafts inside for anyone to make.

Anyone interested in the fast-paced art of tango dancing, then stop by the tango demonstration, where Anna Zacharcenko will be showing some intricate steps of the dance. Poetry Corner in Ward Park at 24th and Aspen Street will host various contemporary poets such as Nancy Parks, Ashraf Osman, Michelle Belluomini, Dan Maguire and Arlene Bernstein. The Fairmount Pet Shop will be making toys for homeless cats from 2-5 p.m. Also, magician Kevin Joyce will be visiting various areas of Fairmount, performing magic tricks and making balloon animals.

Many restaurants of Fairmount will be par- ticipating, displaying some of their best cuisine. Some of the restaurants involved this year are London Grill, Mugshots Coffee House and Juice Bar, Rembrandt’s Restaurant and Bar and the Trio Restaurant.

mcshanej2@lasalle.edu