A Day at the Claremont Street Fair.

I don’t know what it is about street fairs that makes me so happy and excited.  It could be the crowds of people and the really cute puppies, or the aroma of food and fresh air, or the beautiful handmade jewelry and amazing smelling body lotions.  I’m sure it is a combination of those and other things, but when I heard there was a street fair today I couldn’t contain myself.

The halloween street fair is a yearly tradition in Claremont.  I think I was expecting it to be one street, like the farmer’s market, but when I walked into the village this afternoon to find out that it took up the entire village I suddenly became even more excited.  Tent, after tent as far as the eye could see (Ok fine, as far as Indian Hill, but hey that’s pretty far!).  When I set out for the fair, I had intended to stay for at most an hour, but ended up walking around for 2.5 hours.

As I walked through, I tried everything that was being sampled, especially the amazing smelling body lotions, soaps and scrubs.  Every time I walked by a tent selling those types of products, I had to stop and smell everything, and then sample my favorite one.  Needless to say, by the end of the day my hands smelled like a mixture of 20 very nice, but all very different smells. I also love looking at the hand made jewelry.  The sea glass and colorful blown glass are always my favorites.  The talent that these people have just amazes me.  I also had a conversation with a wonderful man who grew exotic cacti.  Though my roommate and I already have two plants on our tiny windowsill, we almost walked away with another two.  He explained the habitat of the different types of cacti, what was unique about each one, and the different species available.  It was so hard to leave without one.

The final mission on my trip to the street fair was to find something to help me decide what to be for halloween.  Yes, I know talk about last minute.  Then I saw it, a tutu.  A pink tutu!  I hadn’t worn one since I was four!  I knew that I had found my costume.  The only thing was that the tutu was made to fit tiny kids.  Thanks to the inventor of elastic!  It fit, I bought it, and tonight I’m going to be the prettiest ballerina at the whole dance.

But I’m getting off topic.  Needless to say, I absolutely love street fairs.  I am now the proud owner of homemade vanilla lotion and pineapple cilantro soap. And a pink tutu! How could I forget the tutu?!

Happy Halloween 2012!