Brockport Street Fair celebrates community

Village of Brockport merchants will have the opportunity to showcase their wares while showing off the historic Victorian community to visitors and shoppers.

Pat Kutz of Lift Bridge Book Shop said the event, formerly known as the Brockport Sidewalk Sale, has been renamed and revamped. "It’s long been our wish to have a summer event that was a community celebration," Kutz said. "Brockport is still a small enough town that people still want to come out, meet their neighbors, and browse the merchants' wares."

Many of the downtown merchants combined efforts to make this event more than a sidewalk sale. "It’s a transformed event," she said. "It has a much larger focus than just shopping."

The merchants combined forces with Steve Appleton of Cool Kids to help expand and enhance the festivities by adding numerous events for the children.

The weekend’s festivities begin Thursday, July 11 at 9 a.m. when the Brockport merchants come together to offer some of the best values of the year. The Strand Theater will have a kids matinee movie from 1 to 3 p.m., Richard IV will perform on the King Street stage from 5 to 6 p.m. followed by the Brockport High School band in the middle of Main Street, in front of the Strand Theater from 7 to 8 p.m. The day winds down with two bands performing from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Jonny Action will kick off the 8 o’clock performance and Chapter 9 will follow.

On Friday the shops open again at 9 a.m. Also at 9 a.m., a "Cool Kids Day," sponsored by many local businesses and citizens will feature activities and events such as: 19th century games; street chalk graffiti; RPO instrument petting zoo; crafts; magic shows; bubblemania and much more.

Into The Now, a band sponsored by Lakeside Hospital, will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. on the King Street stage.

The weekend wraps up with the sidewalk sale running on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be Fair Kids "Proud to be an American" program, presented by the Monroe County Fair from 1 to 2 p.m.; bubblemania and street chalk graffiti from 1 to 4 p.m. From 5 to 10 p.m. there will be an antique car cruise-in.

Food booths, raffles, drawings, vendor booths and various other activities will be running during the three day event.

Mayor Josephine Matela, who runs a tea and antiques shop on Main Street said, "Anytime we have an event that brings people to our community and helps us showcase our Victorian heritage and our shops, makes it a great event."