Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair

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Jocelyn Reeder, Feature Editor

Since 1971, the Fourth Avenue Street Fair takes place between Ninth Street and University Blvd. It is free to the public and brings together 400+ arts and crafts booths, 35+ food vendors and street musicians.  The Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair is March 2nd-4th from 10:00 am to dusk!

Going to the street fair this weekend was my first time. It was amazing but also very crowded. There were so many different tents that were selling all sorts of unique items – everything from signs made of old license plates, to cool jewelry, scented candles, Tucson art, and western wear.  Some clothing racks had clothes for only $5. There was a store at the Street Fair that was kind of a tattoo shop. It had so many different colorful dresses. The prices were kind of high though.

When I went to the fair, I got to see all kinds of art. Nicholas Ivins does Art and Illustrations which you
can order online. “I have been drawing all my life and doing shows for about 6 years. It usually takes a couple of weeks to finish a painting.” He mostly focuses on the Day of the Dead and animals.

I also got to talk to a lady and a man named Susan and Eric Anderson. They both create bases and different kinds of pottery. The bases are thrown and they use small amounts of clay at a time. Susan Anderson has been a national potter ever since 1975. “It takes over a day and I usually spend 15 minutes on each one. 

The last lady I got to interview makes scarves and shawls. They are all handmade. “I have been weaving for 40 years. I started my senior year in college and took a welding class, getting my masters in art,”stated Cheryl Kabala. It is really time consuming. A scarf takes about 4-5 hours but the actual weaving time is 2-5 hours. A shawl takes almost 2 hours.

The street fair was really fun minus the crowd, but I strongly suggest you go next year. There are so many different people that create unique items.