Locks of love again

In my travels, I've seen these "locks of love" on bridges in international locations (Paris, St. Petersburg). So it is fitting that we should have some locks of love at this year's International Food & Music Festival.

Of course, there's no river in which to throw away the key. And I'm not sure that couples came prepared with locks that carried their names. But it's a fun idea anyway.

Righteous and the Wicked

Another one of the bands who performed at the International Food and Music Festival in Downey was Righteous and the Wicked—a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band.

I just could not get enough of the stuffed animal pants.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” 
~ Plato

International Food & Music Festival

Tonight was Downey's International Food & Music Festival. There was food from local restaurants and food trucks, craft beer and wine garden, DJ, live entertainment, on three stages, balloon artists, caricature artists, photo booth, henna artists, face painters, and more.



My favorite group this year was Masanga Marimba. They play music from Zimbabwe and more. They were awesome and fun to listen to.

Roasting on spits

The Downey Greek Food Festival was this weekend. It is amazing to think that this was the 34th year of the festival.

It is always a fun outing, listening to traditional Greek music, watching the performances, and of course, the food. I am always drawn to the lambs roasting on the spits—it makes for such a fun visual. This year, however, I opted to have the pork souvlaki. It was delicious!

How about a Plutarch quote: “Know how to listen and you will profit even from those who talk badly.”

Calaveras

"Hey, hon, how about a drive to the 5th Annual Day of the Dead Festival?" "Sure, sugar, let's put our skulls together and have some fun!"

There were lots of skulls around yesterday, in all shapes and sizes (and materials).

"The word "Death" is not pronounced in New York, in Paris, in London, because it burns the lips. The  Mexican in contrast, is familiar with death, jokes about it, caresses it; it is one of his favorite toys and most steadfast love."
~ Octavio Paz

Dogs of Downey - Jackson

Last weekend's International Food and Music Festival was a dog-friendly place. This is Jackson, a soft-coated Wheaten Terrier. Huh, you say? According to Wikipedia, "the Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier is a pure breed terrier originating from Ireland. . . . Wheatens are generally friendly and playful, and tend to get along well with children and other dogs." This was definitely true of Jackson. He is very friendly, but calm enough to sit and enjoy the crowds with his owners.

Dance the night away

There were three stages for music performances at the Downey International Food and Music Festival this year. At each one, people were dancing and swaying to the music (in this case, The Little Mermaid's Under the Sea).

And it wasn't just the crowd enjoying the music. The musicians also looked like they were enjoying themselves.

Photo ops

Today was the Downey International Food and Music Festival. Preparations go on all day for the food trucks, live music, festival attractions, face painters, and a beer and wine garden.

One of the popular attractions is the photo op with the D-O-W-N-E-Y letters, where everyone enjoys having their picture taken.

A peak at the Greek

Today I went to the first day of the Greek Food Festival at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church. It was early in the day, and they were still setting up much of the event, so there were not many people around, but the food was ready. And so were most of the rides and activities for kids.



"My dad believed in two things: That Greeks should educate non-Greeks about being Greek and every ailment from psoriasis to poison ivy can be cured with Windex".
~ Toula Portokalos, My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Dia de los Muertos Urban Art Alley

The Dia de los Muertos Festival wasn't just for kids. There was a shopping section with lots of souvenirs, a food truck section with a huge selection of foods, and—my favorite—the Urban Art Alley.

This horse and two riders was created by Martin Sánchez, who immigrated here as a child from a small town in Mexico. Sánchez gives ingenious and creative new life to everyday things that have been used and then discarded.

There was also an all-metal Catrina figure that stood about 10 feet tall.

Dia de los Muertos for the kids

This year's 4th Annual Downey Dia de los Muertos Art Festival was bigger and better than ever! Not even a few showers slowed things down.

The first thing I noticed was all of the activities available for kids. Kids were everywhere, and having a great time. Children were drawing, decorating sugar skulls, and having fun posing with the Catrina figures and other folk art in the Urban Art Alley.

Stardust Art Festival

Today was the first Stardust Art Festival, a celebration of art, film, space combined with a celebraton of Downey’s 60th Anniversary. The Downey Arts Coalition and the City of Downey presented free movies provided by GlennFest Film Festival. The Aerospace Legacy Foundation presented a panel discussion about Downey’s role in aerospace history. And of course there were artist booths on the plaza, live music, food trucks, and a special art exhibit in the theatre lobby.

As always, I was drawn first and foremost to the photographers. There were some amazing photos of Yosemite, one of my favorite places to photograph.

And the most intriguing booth, to me, were the painting classes offered by Sal of Da Sal's Arte. With his step-by-step instructions, you can start at whatever level you're at—whether it's a tracing of the picture you're going to paint so you don't have to stress over getting the shapes right, or free-form if that's what you're ready for. Maybe something even I could manage!

2016 International Food & Music Festival

This past Saturday a wide swath of Downtown Downey was cordoned off for the 2016 International Food & Music Festival. There was music for almost every taste and volume level. In addition to music and food there was also art for you to express yourself.

This group, called The Pasadena Transit, entertained the audience with their renditions of Chicago hits.

There were plenty of photo opportunities to show off your Downey pride.

And everywhere you looked there were events for the kids to participate in. This rock-climbing attraction was a big hit with both the parents and kids.

Food and photo ops

In addition to the skulls that abounded at the Día de los Muertos Art Festival yesterday, there were lots of places to pose for pictures. And each year, there is more food than the last year. This year, there were two rows of food trucks serving just about anything you could imagine.

La Calavera Catrina

Today was the third annual Día de los Muertos Art Festival. Every year, it has grown in size and popularity.

Face-painting, especially the skeletal look, plays a big role in the traditional Día de Muertos activities. In the early 1900s, "José Guadalupe Posada created a famous print of a figure he called La Calavera Catrina ("The Elegant Skull") as a parody of a Mexican upper-class female. Posada's striking image of a costumed female with a skeleton face has become associated with the Day of the Dead, and Catrina figures often are a prominent part of modern Day of the Dead observances." (Wikipedia)

Food & Music Festival

Downey Avenue was alive this evening with the sounds of live music. Adding to the fun, there were food trucks galore to choose from. Tonight was Downey's International Food & Music Festival.

What a treat! And, a great turnout.



"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating". 
~ Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright, Pavarotti, My Own Story

Mutton chops

We've been posting about the Greek dancing and the Greek fabrics, but don't forget, the Greek Food Festival is, after all, about the food.

The cows get off easy, but the lambs, chickens, and pigs are roasting in huge quantities over the barbeque pits, and side dishes of moussaka, gyros, hummus, dolmathes, souvlaki, spanakopita, baklava, and more are ready to serve.

Greek fabrics

The Greek Food Festival includes about a dozen booths selling Greek (and non-Greek) goods. My favorites are the dance costumes and the embroidered table clothes and linens, because the fabrics are so colorful and beautifully made.

It's Greek to me

Every year I love attending the Greek food festival! The food is yummy and the music and dancing are fun.

It is fun to see the crowd join in the traditional dances.



Then, the kids come out and steal your hearts.





"Dancing is like dreaming with your feet!" 
~ Constanze