East Falls Rocks the River with Fall Fest

Saturday’s Autumn Street Fest was the prettiest corner of East Falls with an “Open Streets” vibe that seemed to have the whole town smiling. 

Wow, our river!

Never fails to amaze me how much I appreciate when the drive is shut down and we can wander around by the river together, friends and neighbors and lookie loos from the bike path who are all, “Where is this place? Who are these lucky people and how can I be one of them?”

Perhaps an exaggeration but still: our stretch of Kelly Drive instantly becomes an enviably beautiful riverside park with just a few police barricades and some strategically-parked fire trucks. That. We. Can. Play. On. (!) 

Last Saturday, East Falls’ Fire Department in partnership with our Community Council pulled off a vibrant, well-rounded festival with truly something for everyone:  Tacos, donuts & grilled cheese food trucks, Yards beer garden, moon bounce, live acts & readings, pet costumes…

And FIRE TRUCKS! Just sitting out for you to climb on & take pictures in. Fire fighter equipment, too, free for anyone to try on and/or goof around in.

The Phillie Phanatic even showed up!  Big thanks to Colleen Marie who snapped some great Phanatic & fire dept pics.  Colleen’s wife of firefighter Lieutenant Joseph Tobin who took some heat for closing the drive but stood firm to give us all a great day on the river. 

Thanks, too, to Larry Benjamin (local author & EFCC recording secretary) for his awesome shots of the Phanatic at the Phest, ha (sorry). The popular mascot hung out in East Falls a long time, hamming his way thru haystack portraits with attendees.

Another crowd-pleaser kicked off the festival: the Halloween pet costume contest, sponsored by Pet Street on Conrad and our own Northwest Philly Pack Walk. Almost 20 dogs strutted their stuff, and the winning costumes (as decided by Pet Street vet Thomas Pickard, VMD,  owner Steve Carvelli, and store manager Nancy).

Huuuuuge thanks to Trolley Car Cafe for the homemade dog treats that all Costume Contest participants enjoyed. Jasmine (a manager here) bakes them herself from all-natural ingredients like nut butters and whole grain flours, plus plenty of love. BTW, Trolley Car also has a dog menu for their outdoor patio — still a few more weekends left before it’s too cold to enjoy brunch out with your four-footed buddy.

We couldn’t have asked for nicer weather, or lovelier autumn scenery. People — and pooches — of all ages filled Kelly Drive and spilled into Inn Yard park, where free children’s activities were offered, including face painting, pumpkin decorating, and a popular scavenger hunt organized by the Friends of Inn Yard Park.

Comments from Facebook sum the day up nicely: 

“Very nice event. My kids had a great time! Thanks!”  Karen Direso Keough

“Awesome job to those who organized and pulled off such a great event in EF.”  Heather A. Petrone-Shook

“Beautiful pics of a great event!”  Andrea Kuhar Isom

“Went down Oak Road to Midvale, and Midvale to Warden. East Falls is just beautiful!”  Paula Holesworth Dougherty

Congrats to everyone involved, this was a fantastic event we’d love to help build on with even more East Falls artists and performers. And their families and friends… and even pets!  

Don’t miss our Facebook slideshow with over 25 (and counting) images from Fall Fest 2015.

Thanks everyone for coming out to another great East Falls event! 

See you next year… 

 

 

 

 

 

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