Song, dance acts accompany artisan booths at ‘joyous’ Westcott Cultural Fair
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No matter where people were standing in the Westcott-University neighborhood Sunday, they could probably hear music drifting through the air.
On Sunday, streets closed and traffic stopped in the neighborhood for the 34th annual Westcott Street Cultural Fair. From 12 to 6:30 p.m., visitors milled around the neighborhood, browsing items from artisans and sampling food from local restaurants. New performances started every half hour on six stages, including a children’s corner.
“I’m biased in that aspect,” Mark Zane said. “I do like the fact, though, that all the food here is just vendors from here. There’s no outside vendors.”
Zane, the fair’s performing arts chair since 2013, said the fair is a yearly passion project that brings Westcott to life every September. The fair stretches far beyond the Westcott-University neighborhood, attracting people from the greater Syracuse area.
The six different stages — each for a different type of performer, from acoustic bands at to belly dance performances — showcased live performances
One-hundred forty vendors also lined the streets of the neighborhood. From handmade flower crowns to on-the-spot figure drawings, vendors like Shirley Kern of Shirley’s Crafts brought local goods and experiences to the neighborhood.
“I was a little nervous because we had some hurricane coming or something like that, so I’m thinking high winds,” Kern said. “But this isn’t bad.”
Kern, a charm bracelet maker from Syracuse, has been a vendor at the fair for three years, selling homemade jewelry and painted artificial flower bouquets that she calls “vaseliers” — chandeliers in a vase.
Securing a vendor booth has become so popular that applications open in April and close in August, the fair’s chair Sharon Sherman said.
Turning a corner meant finding another performance to watch. On the dance stage, the Thornden Morris Dancers performed a traditional English routine, and The Syracuse Acrobatics and Acro Yoga club performed its “A Little Acro” routine. At the belly dancing stage, the Syracuse Gay & Lesbian Choir got things started at 12:30 p.m. before The Mirage Belly Dancing troupe took the stage.
With local bands like Quatro and Sacred Medicine playing on every street corner, music floated through the air over chatter from locals and visitors. Genres ranged from jazz to jam band and even included a rapper on the acoustic stage.
Otto the Orange sits back at the Westcott Street Cultural Fair and listens to the band Quatro. With six different stages, the fair featured various performers, like local bands and belly dancers. Paul Hakimian | Staff Photographer
Everything from Indian food from Raj Saffron House to handmade pottery by Slay the Clay lined the streets, and some groups handed out free crafts like origami cranes. Food options included dinner-plate sized apple dumplings from Apple Dumpling & Co., drinks and Italian food from Colucci and Munjed’s Middle Eastern & Greek Restaurant offering a sit-down option.
The fair annually sees over 10,000 people and has essentially hit its capacity because of the size of Westcott, said Sharon Sherman, who’s been the fair’s chair since 2005.
Starting strong with a parade, the energy continued throughout the day, even amid on-and-off rain. Parade participants included a number of Syracuse politicians like Congressman John Mannion and groups like the Syracuse Quakers and American Legion Dunbar Post Color Guard.
The weather didn’t stop fairgoers from making their way to Westcott Street. The growing number of attendees has created a parking problem for visitors, Sherman said.
Because of the high demand and limited parking, organizers offered a shuttle service to the fairgoers, vendors and musicians for the first time this year.
Beyond the fair, Zane is a sociology professor at Onondaga Community College and volunteers on the fair committee. His background as a musician originally got him involved in the event.
“I perform at (the fair) sometimes as well, and the person who ran the acoustic stage didn’t want to do it anymore. He said, ‘Hey, do you want to go do it?’” Zane said. “I said, ‘Sure, why not?’”
Zane is a folk-rock singer and songwriter whose primary instrument is the guitar. He eventually traded in the fair performances for running the acoustic stage. His favorite part of the event is the live music.
Sherman’s favorite part is the relief it gives her from her regular career.
As Executive Director of the Greater Syracuse Tenants Network, Sherman said her work can be taxing, but the fair is a break from it.
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“You do this fair, and it’s a great day. You have all the other people volunteering,” Sherman said. “It’s a positive in my life. You need the balance.”
Kern most enjoys the smells and sights of the fair, especially the food.
“It’s almost like the state fair, except there’s no rides or anything,” Kern said.
At the fair committee’s closing dinner in two weeks, they’ll discuss the positives of Sunday’s event and what can be improved for next year, Zane said. Then, two weeks later, the committee will begin working on next year’s programming.
Although planning for vendors and applying for grants picks back up in October, Sherman said the work is worth it because of the community she’s found through the fair.
“This adds up to one beautiful day,” Sherman said. “As far as I’m concerned, every year is the best year ever. So it’s a joyous thing.”
