Mayfest kicks off tomorrow at noon. Everybody should come down tomorrow for lunch and eat downtown. This year, there are lots of corn dogs and bratwurst starting at $4 and BBQ and other sandwiches starting at $5. Gyros are $8 and the most expensive food item was $9 for a 3 rib combo meal with a side or a $11 sample plate of egg rolls and skewered chicken for $11.
The most interesting thing I saw was a "Kaiserwurst". It is a chicken dog made with jalapenos and dried tomatoes. It is $5.
For dessert, I saw big cookies for $2, ice cream for $3, sopapillas for $4 and funnel cakes for $5. One booth had chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick for $5.
Mayfest is a free festival that is funded mostly kind through sponsors and beer sales. Please try to buy a beer from an official festival booth. They are $4 for a pint.
I'll be there. I'm after the strudel.
We always go! My husband and I stuff ourselves with grater tators (sp) everytime we go! LOL!!! Was able to snag a beautiful painting back in 2003. I sure hope we get good weather. I feel bad for the artists whenever we have bad weather during Mayfest.
Marshalls anywhere down there?
80% chance of Stormgazum. We'll go, but have to hop from bar to bar. Shucks!
http://gigapan.org/gigapans/fullscreen/49666/ (http://gigapan.org/gigapans/fullscreen/49666/) Gigapan from 4th and main. Lots of half people (due to them walking right in front of the camera)
Bartlett Square 360
http://gigapan.org/gigapans/fullscreen/49669/ (http://gigapan.org/gigapans/fullscreen/49669/)
1.13 gigapixel down main street from the top of the crowne plaza *pool deck*
http://gigapan.org/gigapans/fullscreen/49687/ (http://gigapan.org/gigapans/fullscreen/49687/)
Quote from: Trogdor on May 16, 2010, 03:21:35 AM
1.13 gigapixel down main street from the top of the crowne plaza *pool deck*
http://gigapan.org/gigapans/fullscreen/49687/ (http://gigapan.org/gigapans/fullscreen/49687/)
Great picture, wish we could have trees like that along all of our downtown streets.
After spending a few dozen hours there and untold tickets, Mayfest is finally over. Over four days my family purchased 4 corndogs, 3 funnel cakes, 6 lumpias, two chicken-on-a-stick, chicken nachos, beef nachos, chicken quesadilla, cotton candy, 2 dippin dots, chocolate covered nuts, and a dipped cone.
I think I can skip the fair. I'm good until next May.
Quote from: sgrizzle on May 17, 2010, 10:47:59 AM
After spending a few dozen hours there and untold tickets, Mayfest is finally over. Over four days my family purchased 4 corndogs, 3 funnel cakes, 6 lumpias, two chicken-on-a-stick, chicken nachos, beef nachos, chicken quesadilla, cotton candy, 2 dippin dots, chocolate covered nuts, and a dipped cone.
I think I can skip the fair. I'm good until next May.
Attendance numbers for this year? Reports on Blue Dome, Brady? I was out of town this weekend.
Quote from: Conan71 on May 17, 2010, 10:56:13 AM
Attendance numbers for this year? Reports on Blue Dome, Brady? I was out of town this weekend.
KRMG is reporting 300,000
I know attendance was pitiful Thursday and Friday but very high on saturday and sunday. Better on Sunday than I remember last year.
Never made it to Brady but twice to Blue Dome. They had move the 1st Street row over to 2nd which was great. Seemed like about the same size as last year despite all the issues. Attendance there on Friday was bad too and many vendors didn't even setup that day. Mayfest vendors are generally more well-travelled and tend to have the heavier tents with walls and can handle inclement weather better.
Quote from: sgrizzle on May 17, 2010, 10:47:59 AM
After spending a few dozen hours there and untold tickets, Mayfest is finally over. Over four days my family purchased 4 corndogs, 3 funnel cakes, 6 lumpias, two chicken-on-a-stick, chicken nachos, beef nachos, chicken quesadilla, cotton candy, 2 dippin dots, chocolate covered nuts, and a dipped cone.
I think I can skip the fair. I'm good until next May.
You didn't eat all of it. I sampled the funnel cake and a lumpia that you bought.
I ate at Grand Selections one day there at 3rd and Main. I try to support the local guys who are negatively impacted by the festival. His business is always way down at Mayfest and he refuses to open up a beer stand that would compete with the festival.
Went to Brady for the Art Car parade (all 7 of them) and there was very little activity over there: few vendors and few people.
We particularly enjoyed the childrens area setup by the park at 6th/Main. The kids enjoyed all the activity as well as the park and bubbles and the fountain on the other end. I felt particularly comfortable as a parent with the space and the unobstructed visibility provided by the park.
Quote from: OurTulsa on May 17, 2010, 11:07:02 PM
Went to Brady for the Art Car parade (all 7 of them) and there was very little activity over there: few vendors and few people.
I think they suffered from three things: first year to participate, lack of promotion of festival, and distance from the other two festivals. I hope that the first two will correct themselves as the festival matures (I hadn't even heard of the Blue Dome festival until last year!). As for the third issue, Blue Dome and Mayfest are a fairly straight shot from each other. Brady is a little more difficult to access, as you have to go around the Williams superblock and across the Center of the Universe to get there from Mayfest, or you have to cross the Detroit bridge and then walk about 4 blocks from Blue Dome. Needless to say, while the other two festivals are visible from each other, there isn't much of a sightline to the Brady events to remind people of what is going on.
I think saturation is another issue. The Brady festival wasn't created out of need for a Brady festival, it was created out of a conflict between people at the blue dome. While Mayfest and Blue Dome have different target artists and selection methods, Blue Dome and Brady are targeting the same types of visitors and artists and similar rates. If you want to get your art in front of an audience are you going to put it at the blue dome that's been around for years or on the other side of downtown at a brand new startup with little unique to offer?
I went to all three and enjoyed them all. I have been involved with Mayfest for over 25 years and spent most of each of the four days there. I left each day to go to Blue Dome and went to Brady Arts on Saturday.
Mayfest is great because of the quality of art and the four stages of local music. I am a major fan of the four indoor galleries, including the Invitational Gallery which I believe is the best collection of local art in one place each year. I also applaud their committment to a Kidzone completely focused on making each kid an artist.
Blue Dome is fun. I see lots of people I know and the whole thing has a laid back feel. Some of the art is very pedestrian, but the best of Blue Dome is as good as anybody. I always make a point of buying something from a Blue Dome vendor, mostly because I can afford it.
I went by the Brady Arts show only for about twenty minutes. They had a great bluegrass band on stage and the art cars were very cool. I was happy they had a festival, but they either need to go bigger or try some other time of year.
I like to think of it as Mayfest inspired both of the other two. I want even more and now that Mayfest has galleries in four downtown building lobbies, maybe we can get every downtown lobby to host a show as well.
I'm glad Blue Dome didn't wind up knucking under due to a percieved threat by the Brady gig. The Brady festival will come into their own, but I think they should move it to another weekend. As has already been pointed out there simply is not a very good flow from the center of Mayfest to the center of the Brady Festival.
Quote from: Conan71 on May 18, 2010, 02:35:53 PM
I'm glad Blue Dome didn't wind up knucking under due to a percieved threat by the Brady gig. The Brady festival will come into their own, but I think they should move it to another weekend. As has already been pointed out there simply is not a very good flow from the center of Mayfest to the center of the Brady Festival.
Yes and at the same time Brady setup so far away, Blue Dome rearranged to be more convenient to/from Mayfest so us posters aren't the only ones who see value in the ability to move easily between shows.
I thought the Art Car parade would be the draw to the Brady. Last year was quite interesting with many more participants. They paraded around Second/Cincinnati/3rd/Elgin. This year there were far fewer participants and in their promotionals (that I saw) I could never figure out where it was going to take place; though I figured the obvious route was down Brady.