Cathedral Art Festival on 13th Avenue

As I walked through the throngs filling 13th Avenue from Albert Street to Elphinstone Street, a distance of …….well, a long way…. from my vantage of my barely 5 feet tall, I could hardly see the kiosks we passed. It was stop and start, weaving through the crowd at my measured pace, stopping long enough to watch the Salsa Colada troupe of young girls in bright costumes perform for the crowd that blocked the path of those that kept walking. From babies in slings or strollers, teenagers and young families, to those of us several decades past; dogs on leashes, rainbow coloured hair, local musicians established several blocks apart - each one a different genre, garish dress to perfectly acceptable dress, the occasional individual in wheelchair a caregiver in tow, kiosks selling artwork, food, clothes, jewelry, books, wood carving, pottery, ceramics, tarot card reading, massage, quilting, crocheting and food trucks. The food trucks! Ethiopian, Mexican, Indian curry, First Nations, poutine, hot dogs and popcorn. The soaring churches and buildings lining 13th Ave were dwarfed by this strolling, happy crowd. 

The late spring sun was wonderful, thankfully cooled by a light wind. I did sit down several times on my journey, but, in all, I walked from one end to the other. My goal: to visit Pause, an air-conditioned coffee shop, opened just 7 weeks ago, to sit down, have a coffee and just ‘pause’ before my long walk back. On that long walk back, I hoped to get a loaf of sour dough bread that I’d seen at the beginning - but not only was it sold out, but the space where the kiosk had been, was empty - not a crumb left!

This, and other community events are all volunteer driven. In that, I saw my community with amazing potential, participation and great diversity. My photo of the clear sky barely marred by cloud and a beautiful pink quilt draped on the kiosk wall, is only a tiny sliver of it all. 

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”

~ Stephen Covey