This was our third year participating in Westfest, well, really it was my second. I was away last year. Mark took the girls down with friends of ours and followed it up with a BBQ.
Westfest is a street party. A large strip of Richmond Rd. is closed to traffic. Merchants set up tables, restaurants set up patios … there was a big stage set up on one end (for music and spoken word) and several smaller ones perfect for preteen girls belting out ear-splitting versions of “Summer Lovin'”.
There is always plenty of free stuff to enjoy, especially for the kids… face-painting and balloons and a giant inflatable bouncehouse and slide.
We got to hold a skunk and pet a python. We ran into loads of people we knew. Perhaps this was the best part for me – seeing our friends and neighbors taking part in what is quickly shaping up to be a new neighborhood tradition.
Unfortunately the weather didn’t cooperate and the patios were largely unoccupied. Offerings of bottled water and ice-cold lemonade went unheeded. There were long lineups for coffee. But we dressed appropriately and didn’t feel too chilly.
One of the best parts for me was catching a bit of Elliott Brood on stage. They’re classified as an alt-country band. Their song “The Bridge” actually got people nodding their heads and tapping their feet to the rhythm. (We Ottawans are a pretty reserved bunch.)
I loved the young fellow in the black dress socks (you’ll have to look at the photos to see who I mean). In normal circumstances I find black dress socks rather repulsive (when paired with sandals, for example) but I found it oddly endearing in this case.
We walked down to Westfest twice on Saturday. Mark brought them back again on Sunday. They were thrilled that a festival was taking place right in their neighborhood. And so was I.
