The long, lazy days and gorgeous summer weather are here. It’s the perfect time of year to enjoy the great outdoors and the many world-class festivals that make summer such a special time of year in the San Francisco Bay Area. Celebrating the best of summer in style is Connoisseurs’ Marketplace, Menlo Park’s popular festival of visual, performing and culinary arts. Every year on the third weekend in July, charming Santa Cruz Avenue is transformed into a moveable feast with big crowds and a colorful sea of tents. Presented by the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce, this year’s 21st annual festival will be held on July 19-20 with thousands of visitors pouring onto the downtown streets for a vibrant celebration of art, music, food, and all-around family fun.
NEW ATTRACTIONS AND INITIATIVES
Co-chaired by longtime Menlo Park residents and businessmen Rick Ciardella and John Conway, the 2007 festival will include several new additions. One of the priorities this year is to expand the “greening” of the festival. “With the support of Allied Waste Services, we’re expanding our recycling and composting efforts,” said Fran Dehn, president/CEO of the Chamber of Commerce. Festival organizers are also encouraging the use of public transit and bicycles to cut down carbon emissions and vehicular traffic. Additionally, several local businesses have joined forces with the festival to conduct promotional events. “A major focus for us this year has been to develop partnerships with local businesses so they can benefit from participation in Connoisseurs’ Marketplace,” said Ciardella and Conway. During the festival, Draeger’s will be sponsoring a series of in-store cooking demos, Kepler’s will have a tent in the Kids’ Fun Zone stocked with merchandise from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and Beltramo’s will be offering its support and expertise in selecting award-winning estate wine that will enhance the overall experience for festivalgoers. The Burt’s Bees Bee-utify Your World Mobile Tour will be appearing at this year’s festival. Attendees can try Burt’s Bees vast range of natural, earth friendly products and take home free samples to start a more natural, healthy lifestyle. Learn about natural personal care products and other choices we can make in our daily lives that are better for us and the environment.
FINE ART, ONE-OF-A-KIND CRAFTS
Festivalgoers will find thousands of handcrafted items by America’s top artists and craftmakers at this juried show. Chat with and buy from more than 200 artists on hand with their latest creations. Featuring original work in sculpture, paintings, photography, glass, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, leather, wood, metal and mixed media, the festival is considered among the top art shows in the Bay Area. Vases, flatware, clocks, dishes, wall and table decorations, paperweights, stained and beveled glass, etchings, sculptures, photography, oil and watercolor paintings, beadwork, gold and silver jewelry, vests, handbags, hats, wallets, footwear, windchimes, and waterfalls are among the one-of-a-kind items available.
ENTERTAINMENT
Ten dynamite bands will play an eclectic, fun-filled mix of jazz, rock & roll, r&b, pop, folk, country and soul music on stage and street as the best of the Bay Area music scene comes to Menlo Park. The free, not-to-be-missed “After-Hours Concert” will feature The Joe Sharino Band, one of the Bay Area’s biggest draws known for their high-energy, sing-alongs and a sensational classic rock ‘n roll show, on Saturday, July 19th from 5:30-8 p.m. in Fremont Park. Also performing are Blue House, Midlife Vices, The Groove Mercenaries, Catwalk, The Groove Kings, The New Buzz, HeartStrings Music, Aryeh Frankfurter, and Dreamroad.
FOOD & DRINK
Festival eateries will be serving up a world of flavorful, stroll-around fare –– fresh roasted corn-on-the-cob, juicy tri-tip sandwiches, plump hot-off-the-grill sausages and hot dogs, chicken and sausage jambalaya, seafood gumbo, blackened shrimp, crawfish etoufee, fried rice, chow mein, chicken Caesar salad, Portobello mushroom sandwiches, fried calamari with tangy cilantro lime sauce, barbecued oysters, crab cakes, gyros, falafels, dolmas, and baklava; zesty chicken and pork kabobs, teriyaki chicken and rice, fluffy Salvadoran pupusas, crisp-fried catfish, garlic fries, fresh-squeezed lemonade, and frozen yogurt. Complementing the food will be a selection of exceptional wines from Beltramo’s, refreshing margaritas, and microbrewed beers.
DRAEGER’S WORLD-CLASS COOKING DEMOS
Draeger’s Resident Chef Instructors will conduct cooking demonstrations on subjects ranging from cupcakes to summer chips and dips from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day at their Menlo Park store, located at 1010 University Drive. The demos will be 20-minutes in length starting at the top of each hour with free samples to nibble on at the conclusion. There is no charge to attend and seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
GOURMET ALLEY
In “Gourmet Alley”, a giant specialty food tasting tent, makers of fancy foods will sample and sell their incredible edibles. Award-winning olive oils, dessert sauces, spices, dips, salad dressings, balsamic vinegars and blends, flavored almonds, pistachios and cashews, dipping oils, relishes, tea, scone mixes, fruit butter, salsa, hot fudge sauces, fruit jams, jellies and spreads, honey, mustard, marinades, barbecue sauce, dry mixes, and beef jerky will be among the mouth-watering offerings.
KIDS’ FUN ZONE
The action-packed Tavarez Orthodontics Kids’ Fun Zone will fascinate kids with endless amusements. The stomach-tickling Froghopper, a 24-foot climbing wall, colorful wax hands art, whimsical sand sculptures, thrilling virtual reality motion theater, Boomer’s Magic Circus obstacle course, temporary tattoos, face painting, balloon artists, clowns, inflatible bounces, and choo-choo train rides are among the exciting attractions. Kepler’s will have a tent at the festival well-stocked with merchandise from the newly released Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows –– beautifully crafted wands, suitable for students as well as more accomplished witches and wizards; brooms for both professional and amateur Quidditch players, Quidditch goggles, and other finely made products for Harry Potter fans.
SPECTACULAR SPONSORS
Stop by for a visit, win great prizes, enjoy tasty samples, meet the personalities, and check out the latest products from this year’s festival sponsors: Tavarez Orthodontics, Burt’s Bees Mobile Tour, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, Wells Fargo, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Nokia, Renewal By Andersen, Kitchen Works, Menlo Medical Clinic, Awender Chiropractic, Provident Credit Union, Trendwest Resorts, University Chiropractic, Shell Vacations Club, Pine Mountain Construction, Prudential Financial, Lifemark Group at Skylawn, Maita Distributing, Sam Adams Summer Ale, Boston Lager, Peroni, Miller Lite, Cutco Cutlery, California State Automobile Association, El Dorado Ranch, Wizard Screens, Danmer Custom Shutters, Marriott Vacations, Morgan Stanley, Gutter Shutter, Margarita King, American Laser Centers, John Robert Powers, Kepler’s, Draeger’s, Beltramo’s, Tyco Electronics, Allied Waste Services, San Jose Mercury News, Gentry Magazine, The Almanac, The Pennysaver, Wave Magazine, CBS 5 TV, The CW –– Channel 44, Comcast, Alice @97.3 FM, Star 101.3 FM, KBAY 94.5 FM, KEZR 106.5 FM, Movin’ 99.7 FM, KCBS 740 AM and KFOX 98.5 FM.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Caltrain and SamTrans will be running their normal weekend service both days. The Menlo Park Caltrain/SamTrans station lets riders off one block from the festival grounds. For Caltrain and SamTrans schedule information, call 800-660-4287 or visit www.caltrain.com or www.samtrans.com. For VTA information, call 800-894-9908 or visit www.vta.org.
STREET CLOSURES/VEHICLE PARKING/BICYCLE PARKING
Santa Cruz Avenue will be closed to vehicular traffic from El Camino Real to Johnson Street for the two-day festival. Parking will be available in the parking plazas adjacent to Santa Cruz Avenue, on side streets surrounding the festival area, and at the Caltrain station on Merrill Street. Bicycle parking racks are available at several locations on Santa Cruz Avenue.
NO PETS, PLEASE
Pets are not allowed at the festival. For the safety, comfort, and courtesy of your pets and festival-goers, please leave your pets at home.
FESTIVAL DATES/HOURS/LOCATION/INFO-LINE
The festival runs July 19-20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Santa Cruz Avenue from El Camino Real to Johnson Street. Admission is free. For festival information, call the Menlo Park Chamber of Commerce at 650-325-2818.
