Artists and Cyclists

queenseyes 0

I thoroughly enjoyed attending Artists and Cyclists last evening in Allentown. What I liked most about the event was the interaction between the organizers and the business owners. Each business located within the event boundaries (Allen Street between Franklin and Delaware) came up with a unique twist to play off of the celebration. Allen Street Dress Shop incorporated live mannequins into their window display - one of them was riding a bike. El Buen Amigo got into the act with body painting. The gallery also hosted a lecture. There was live music inside Cafe 59, and most businesses had some sort of display out on the sidewalk. Every shop that I walked into was full of activity, serving food and drinks to customers who appeared to enjoy all of the action tremendously.

Since the theme was Artists and Cyclists, and Allen Street was closed to automobile traffic, visitors were able to take full advantage of both street and sidewalk. That meant that people could roam as they pleased, whether on foot or on bike. That meant that The Path Band had full reign to lead their parade past all of the businesses and out onto the street, where they played for quite some time. GO Bike Buffalo set up tents where people could check out their displays of Social Bicycles.

While this was all part of the Infringement Festival combined with First Fridays activities, the culmination of all of the events and activities showcased Allen Street in a way that was truly memorable. I would love to see this same presentation take place a couple times a year (or more), as long as the businesses continue to shine in the manner that they did during the event.