Lake Worth Street Painting Festival 20 Reviews Festivals
The Lake Worth Beach Street Painting Festival made its anticipated return on Feb. 28 after going virtual last year due to the COVID-xix pandemic. For two days Lake Artery and Lucerne Artery were blocked off from 10 a.m. to 9 p.thou. as artists both local and from across the country joined in turning the streets into a bright patchwork canvas. After terminal twelvemonth's virtual gallery, locals and tourists were eager to drop back into i of Palm Beach'due south largest festivals.
I came in from the east side of the festival, right where it ends at South Federal highway which was lined with signs advertising $xx parking. Equally a local, I knew better. I plant a complimentary spot tucked away and within walking distance, and coming down Northward 1000 Street I hit Lucerne Artery, which by 11 a.m. on Saturday was already overflowing with artists and visitors.
I was immediately hypnotized by a folksy cover of "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams, performed by S Florida'due south ain Indigo Dreamers. I couldn't help but linger past the stage for a scrap, hanging on the smooth vocals of lead singer Jamie Craig. I could've stayed in front of the stage for their unabridged fix, but the olfactory property of grilled meats yanked me past my narrow attention bridge merely as they broke into another comprehend of "Kryptonite" by 3 Doors Down.
I followed my nose to the food kiosks ready upwards forth M Street which included all my favorite types of off-white-fare including hot dogs, hamburgers, funnel cakes, and of course, gyros. After grabbing a tasty lamb pita I was ready to explore the art side of the festival so I started down Lake Avenue.
Information technology was early plenty in the festival that I got to see the beginnings of the checkerboard array of bright-pastel chalk works that would adorn the street until the next rain. I walked along the sidewalk, weaving through the dumbo crowd and taking in the sights of the artwork patched along the hot, sun-soaked pavement until one foursquare caught my middle.
The piece defenseless my attention for reasons I wasn't quite certain of. Maybe it was the solemn greyness of the backdrop which contrasted starkly with the bright shades of the other squares on the block, or mayhap information technology was the foreign imagery of an elephant and a domestic dog sitting next to each other on a tree branch. I had to know more and so I spoke with Darla Leffew and Dr. Denny Cecil-Van Den Heuvel, the 2 sisters who were meticulously crafting it.
"Nowadays you don't know what the next day brings," said Leffew, explaining that the piece was about reflection, but likewise hope. Leffew remarked on the odd pairing of a dog and an elephant sitting together on such a precarious surface and how she felt that it could inspire others to go along regardless of differences.
This was the 15th year the two sisters attended the Festival, which to them is about much more than than the art.
"It'south community and connectedness," said Leffew, with her sis Denny chiming in, "And information technology's simply fun," with a grin.
Artists weren't the but ones who were excited almost this yr's Street Painting Festival. Local business owners likewise had kiosks set outside their doors for anyone passing past looking for a adept impulse-purchase. I stopped by ane at Art Studio Cafe and spoke with the owner, Maria Paz, about the Festival's render.
"It really wakes upwardly the town," said Paz, who'south chalked at 2 previous festivals but was enjoying the shaded awning of her buffet this yr. Every bit the owner of an art studio, she was delighted to see the crowds of artists working on their ain unique pieces.
As I walked I realized how every cake of the street had its own unique sounds. Indigo Dreamers slowly faded into a man sitting alone on the steps of an art gallery playing "Pretty Woman" on acoustic guitar. Walking a little further, "Pretty Woman" faded into a DJ playing "Hit the Road, Jack" outside a restaurant. In that location was such an electricity in the sounds and smells and movement on the street, as if the Street Painting Festival didn't miss a beat later sitting last twelvemonth out.
As a local, I was excited for the return, but I wasn't the only one. Mike Mehlenbacher has lived in the area for 27 years and has attended the festival every year since it started.
"I've been waiting for two years," said Mehlenbacher, who was eager to dive back in afterwards last year's hiatus. Mehlenbacher was setting upwards to play music with friends nether a tent on J Street, and he talked about festivals of years past with animated enthusiasm, pointing to the places nearby where he had previously jammed with other local musicians.
The afternoon wore on nether the hot lord's day, but the festival never seemed to die down. Even late into the evening, as the city waste trucks were set to haul out and open the streets again, hundreds of stragglers notwithstanding ventured the streets, stopping into local confined for a quick cocktail or a bite to eat.
For every bit long every bit I've lived in that location, I've e'er idea of Lake Worth Beach every bit an "cocked" type town, far removed from the gaudy and pristine facades that adorn so much of Palm Beach. The Street Painting Festival reinforced that notion, that here in this little town there is a creative essence that can draw in thousands every year for such a vibrant commemoration of art and culture.
Source: https://www.bocamag.com/the-lake-worth-beach-street-painting-festival-returns/
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