| | Published September 17, 2008
| Detour on Mt. D. for the A & W
| | By Cathy Tyson |  | |
The local get together that started out on Golden Gate Way with approximately forty vendors and artists, has morphed into a street fair extraordinaire. The Lafayette Art and Wine Festival has grown considerably in its thirteen years. Executive Director Jay Lifson estimates about 100,000 people will come over the weekend to enjoy art, wine, beer, cars, food and shopping on September 20 and 21.
There will be over 250 arts and crafts booths, that include ceramics, photography, prints, paintings and more. The "Local Artists Alley" will showcase Lamorinda artists that are members of the Lafayette Gallery as well as the Lamorinda Art Alliance.
Wine connoisseurs will appreciate the selection provided by Wine Thieves at the Premium Wine Pavilion. Although the Chamber would never promote drinking and driving, they are clearly comfortable with drinking and looking. A number of shiny new BMW's will be on display care of Concord BMW at the Premium Wine Pavilion. Just follow the sound of the steel drum band, the Kittian Steel Orchestra to locate upscale wine and cars.
In addition to steel drums, a variety of non-stop music will be played on two stages, adding to the block party ambiance of the festival. Tribute bands to Grateful Dead (Workingman's Ed), Journey (Evolution), Steely Dan (Aja Vu), and the Beatles (The Sun Kings) along with musicians from Red House Studios, returning favorites and local legend Bob Athayde, will provide the soundtrack for the weekend.
Children with a little human energy to burn will enjoy the "KidZone" sponsored by Chevron. Those looking for sustenance after so much shopping won't be disappointed with a great selection of food choices.
While the festival is free, it's produced by the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce, along with the City of Lafayette, as a fundraiser for the Chamber and the Lafayette Arts and Sciences Foundation and a number of other charities. Wine will be available for $6.00 per glass, or four tickets for $20. Free parking is available at the Lafayette BART station with complimentary shuttles running back and forth to the event all day long.
Taking over Mt. Diablo Boulevard from Dewing to La Fiesta Square from 10:00 - 7:00 on Saturday and 10:00 to 6:00 on Sunday, the Art and Wine Festival will be hard to miss. For more information go to the Chamber website at www.lafayettechamber.org.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA