PRESQUE ISLE – If you were in downtown Presque Isle on the evening of Saturday, Aug. 23, during the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival, you may have noticed the hundreds of people feasting and dancing on Main Street.
That’s right, on Main Street. For a few hours, city officials blocked off the city’s main thoroughfare – from Academy Street to State Street – for a new addition to the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival. StreetFair 2008 brought downtown merchants, food vendors, booth exhibitors and a whole lot of community members together for an evening of summer fun.
A small, dedicated committee of organizers – led by representatives from the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival, the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce and the University of Maine at Presque Isle – gathered together 10 food vendors to offer up a wide range of international flavors, from Chinese and Thai to Indian and Italian. The concept: sell StreetFair check-off cards for a modest fee of $3 per person or $5 per couple, place food vendors up and down Main Street, and have participants walk from booth to booth, tasting samples and having the vendors sign their cards.
Beyond the cost of the card, people could buy larger portions of foods available from street vendors, but the samples provided were enough to stuff many a crowd member. For example, the German food booth hosted by the Northeastland and Bonanza that garnered the StreetFair 2008 People’s Choice Award and a $100 prize, offered up currant glazed pork loin, German potato salad, Bavarian pork stew, a half-section of bratwurst with a side of sauerkraut and mustard, and hazelnut spritz cookies.
Those who visited all booths, as reflected by a filled-up card, were able to enter a drawing at the end of the night for a $25 gift certificate to the Northeastland Sidewalk Café. Pam Frank of Easton won that prize.
StreetFair 2008 visitors also were treated to booth exhibitors selling jewelry and health products, candidates running for office, antique cars on display, and later in the evening a street dance featuring DJ Tim the Tune Man sponsored by Citadel Broadcasting.
Vendors for the event included: Wilder’s Jewelry Store, Stew’s Downtown Sight and Sound, Edward Jones, Crystal Compass Books, Morning Star Art and Framing, Harding Law Offices, Café Sorpreso, Northeastland Hotel, Bonanza, Mai Tai, Oriental Pearl, Aramark, Girl Scout Troops 677 and 81, Tastefully Simple, First Choice Coffee, Maple and Grove Confections and Gifts, JB York Painting, Be In Health and North Country Jams, Jellies & More.
“We were thrilled by the enthusiasm and success this event generated in its first year,” said Theresa Fowler, executive director of the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce. “Many people have told us how much fun they had at this event and how wonderful it was to have so much energy and activity taking place on Main Street. We couldn’t have done this without the help of some very hard-working volunteers, especially Mary Lawrence and Wendy Koenig who did the bulk of the organizing. It just couldn’t have turned out better. And because of that, we’re already making plans for StreetFair 2009, which will be part of the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival.”
In fact, organizers already have set the date for next year’s event – Saturday, Aug. 29.
For more information, or to participate in StreetFair 2009, contact the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce at 764-6561.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
TWO LOCAL EATERIES received the StreetFair 2008 People’s Choice Award and a $100 prize, following this year’s festivities during the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival, sponsored by the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce and area businesses. Ten food vendors offered a wide array of international foods, with check-off cards sold to participants, who then visited each vendor and had their card signed at each booth. The Northeastland Hotel and Bonanza garnered the most votes to take the top honor. Pictured, from left: Wendy Koenig, co-organizer; Robin Doody, general manager, Northeastland Hotel; Theresa Fowler, executive director, Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce; George Harris, general manager, Bonanza restaurant; and Mary Williams, co-organizer.
Photo courtesy of Wendy Koenig
Street vendors and community members enjoyed a night of food and music during StreetFair 2008, held during the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival. Hundreds of people turned out for the event, which was so successful that organizers already are planning to host StreetFair 2009.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
PARTICIPATION earned Pam Frank, of Easton, a $25 gift certificate to the Northeastland’s Sidwalk Cafe, following this year’s festivities during the Crown of Maine Balloon Festival, sponsored by the Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce and area businesses. Frank visited each of the 10 vendors during StreetFair 2008, sampling a variety of international cuisine along the way. Of the approximately 180 who took part, it was Frank’s name that was selected the winner for this first-of-its-kind event. Plans are already under way to do the project again during next year’s Crown of Maine Balloon Festival. Pictured, from left: Wendy Koenig, co-organizer for StreetFair 2008; Frank; and Billie Brodsky, member of the Downtown Revitalization Committee and Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce.
