Port Clinton Art Fair

What: Port Clinton Art Fair/ Taste of Highland Park
Where: Highland Park
How much: free
How to get there: Bike to Clybourn, Metra to HP

After a much needed hiatus last week, I made it to a festival this weekend! That's my friend Taryn posing for you with an informational poster about the Port Clinton Art Fair in her home town of Highland Park, IL. It was the only sign I could find.

The Port Clinton Fair was huge, packed, and expensive.
Rows and rows of art filled the area of town just around the train station. Paintings large and small, sculpture, jewelry, you name it. There was even someone who made scary realistic life-size models of people. They had their own security guard, and they were naked.

I arrived around noon and was ready to find something great to eat at the Taste of Highland Park, adjoining the fair. Taryn and I made our way over and chose from the 10 or so booths. I went with a delicious pumpkin tamale with salsa verde, and Taryn had a (really tiny) pulled BBQ chicken sandwich.
I always forget how much I like tamales until I have one. This was just the right size and the pumpkin filling was sweet and delicious. Over lunch we were able to catch up on all the things that have happened in the last 6 months! Taryn has work during the day and goes to grad school at night, so she's very busy. I don't know how she does it.
After lunch and catch-up, we perused the art. There was some very beautiful jewelry that I would have loved to buy, but funds are running a little bit tight as we get in towards the start of the school year. My favorite piece was two silver halves that looked like a pea pod, and in the middle was a dangling photo. Like a locket but without the lock.

The best thing that happened (besides the much-needed catch up time) was that I found $12 on the ground! I held it up and asked if anyone had dropped it but I guess no one noticed or cared enough to claim it. Taryn and I used it to buy some delicious frozen yogurt! Here she is all "bling bling" fanning herself with that cash.










Another unique thing about the fair was that they showcased young artists in other genres, such as the dance you can see here. This tugs at my heartstrings because I can remember dancing at fairs like this in high school. Go ahead and enhance that bad boy, I caught a lot of the girls mid-jump.

All in all, solid experience but the company was more interesting than the art. This is a pretty affluent community, I wonder if the artists jack up their prices because they know that people here will pay more? They certainly catered to the clientele in other ways- loads more Jewish art than I'm used to seeing.

Bart and I are going camping next weekend for labor day and then Grad School (dun dun dun!!!) starts after that, so this may be the last festival post you see for a while. I had an amazing time this summer seeing friends old and new. I'm thinking as a summer wrap up I will write some sort of reflection (teacher friends, didn't you hate those in college?), so keep your eyes peeled.

Have a great holiday! Love you all...