Italian Street Fair A Rousing, If Slightly Soggy Hit

A little rain was not enough to wash away the festivities and the spirit of the 8^th annual Italian Street Painting festival this past weekend.

A record crowd turned out for both days, though a short sprinkle of rain kept some folks away from the Main Street event on Sunday. Still, Main Street Martinez executive director Leanne Peterson said it was the best year yet for the festival.

“With the help of umbrellas and tents, the beautiful chalk art survived the rain and the attendees were treated to some amazing art,” Peterson said.

The artists in attendance this year were, Chris Pasadis, Mario Alfaro, Yvette Tipton, Chris Kapsalis, FooRay (Royce Southerland), Shawn Reese, and Selena Welz.

Chris Pasadis and her daughters were the creators of the first 3D art piece at the Martinez Italian Street Painting Festival. The whimsical dolphin jumping out of the kiddie pool was a hit.
The “Little Italy” tables set out across the 500 block of Main Street featured Italian food served by local restaurants Haute Stuff, Luigi’s Deli, and the Event Center. Roxx on Main also had tables on the 600 block, and featured outdoor dining.

The music, which lasted from morning until night, was a rousing success, with accordions, opera singers, and Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra impersonators.

Presiding over the festivities was Harriet Burt.

“Harriet is such a great emcee”, said Leanne Peterson from Main Street Martinez. “She knows everyone and knows so much history of Martinez that she is able to keep the stage going all weekend,” Peterson said.

EVENTS:

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1905 - The physics journal Annalen der Physik received Albert Einstein's paper "Does the Inertia of a Body Depend Upon Its Energy Content?", introducing the equation E=mc².

1908 - The first production of the Ford Model T automobile was built at the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan.

1954 - The nationwide debut of Tonight! (The Tonight Show) hosted by Steve Allen on NBC.

1968 - The stage musical Hair opens at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London, where it played 1,998 performances until its closure was forced by the roof collapsing in July 1973.

1998 - The Google internet search engine retrospectively claims this as its birthday.