This morning I left early and headed to volunteer for the Old Town 62nd Art Fair. It was a chilly and rainy morning and I arrived almost 45 minutes before my shift so I visited the Lincoln Park Farmers Market and then strolled through the Art Fair, but most artists were still setting up their booths.
The Old Town Art Fair is organized by the Old Town Triangle Association and benefits a host of local youth groups, schools, and neighborhood preservation projects. I heard that only two people at the Fair were paid employees and all the the others are volunteers like myself.
When I applied to volunteer there was no option to state what position I was interested in only the time & day and I chose the 9:30 to 12:30 slot. My confirmation email let me know that I was placed at the Music Stage Gate. There were eight of us at that gate including a Site Captain “JB” and an off duty police officer for security.
The entrance donation was $7 and we had two tables set up for taking cash, handing out guides and giving out hand stamps for re-entry. I manned the hand stamp and handed out guides. It was really chilly and it drizzled for almost half an hour, but overall it was easy work and time passed quickly.
After my shift was over I listened to the first act “Jacob Jones” for a while and then walked through more of the fair. There were over two hundred artists on display and the streets were crowded with spectators.
There was many booths with interesting pieces of art and I didn’t make it through the entire fair, but my favorite were by a Peruvian artist named Nicario Jimenez who created “3D Mixed Media” works that were dioramas with a Latin influence. You can see his work on this website.
Along with the art and music there is a garden walk for those so inclined. They are open on Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM so if you have time and are in the area stop by and check it out.
This was number 20 and now only 30 left to go!