Deep Ellum Arts Festival 2007: Chilly? Yes. Chili? Oh yes

by Chad Jones

With 40° being the estimated high, yes, it will be (and was) cold downtown today for the 2007 Deep Ellum Arts Festival. But that's no excuse for not heading out to Main Street for free music, good food and the chance to watch a grown man in a lobster costume wander aimlessly from booth to booth.

To spare you the truly excruciating details, here's a recap of what you would have seen on Saturday between 12:00 and 3:00 pm:

• a surprisingly-solid turnout; my rough estimate is around 150 frigid yet fun-loving art patrons.
• at least twenty-five booths adorned with different kinds of art (from jewelry, portraits, photography and t-shirts) each with their own starving artist
• at least two corn-dog stands, dispensing golden-brown sticks of meaty delight
• small clusters of huddled bodies sitting in wooden chairs while bearded men strum their guitars
• a rock band covering "Tyler" by the Toadies.
• stone carvings
• a photography booth by one Greg Davis, an Austin resident who walked away from a Hewlett-Packard desk job in 2004 and hasn't looked back since. "I just felt like something wasn't right with my life," Davis says. "So I grabbed a camera and started shooting." He's a self-professed amateur, but if you looked at his portraits from Turkey, India and Africa, you wouldn't have known.
• a Burt's Beeswax tent, full of free samples that you can rub on your body
• some fine folks from the Deep Ellum Association who are selling T-shirts and would like you to join their mailing list
• an alternative to corn-dogs in the form of Mexican seafood; for $4 you can get diced tilapia, halibut and salmon topped with guacamole and hot-sauce served within a tortilla bowl
• a smiling man in full lobster regalia, who I thought was working for the seafood guys until they too looked at him like he was insane
• a couple selling hand-made wooden roses (wooden, not silk) of all possible colors. 12 for $6. But don't be in a hurry; the woman spent at least ten thoughtful minutes organizing and reorganizing a bouquet I bought for my girlfriend
• men riding around on motorized beer coolers (one guy popped a wheelie)
• a stand selling "ugly" spoons
• a parking attendant who randomly told me I was "beautiful"
• lots of puppies in cages
• hot dogs with chili
• and muchos more.

Festival hours for Sunday are 11:00 to 7:00. Click here for full details.

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